Trump OKs wider Syria oil mission
Legal queries emerge over US troop strikes
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has approved an expanded military mission to secure an expanse of oil fields across eastern Syria, raising a number of difficult legal questions about whether US troops can launch strikes against Syrian, Russian or other forces if they threaten the oil, US officials said.
The decision, coming after a meeting on Friday between Mr Trump and his defence leaders, locks hundreds of US troops into a more complicated presence in Syria, despite the president’s vow to get America out of the war. Under the new plan, troops would protect a large swath of land controlled by Syrian Kurdish fighters that stretches nearly 150 kilometres from Deir el-Zour to al-Hassakeh, but its exact size is still being determined.
Officials said many details still have to be worked out. But, Mr Trump’s decision hands commanders a victory in their push to remain in the country to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group, counter Iran and partner with the Kurds, who battled IS alongside the US for several years. But it also forces lawyers in the Pentagon to craft orders for the troops that could see them firing on Syrian government or Russian fighters trying to take back oil facilities that sit within the sovereign nation of Syria.
Mr Trump’s order also slams the door on any suggestion that the bulk of the more than 1,200 US troops that have been in Syria will be coming home anytime soon.
Sen Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, called the mission misguided.
“Risking the lives of our troops to guard oil rigs in eastern Syria is not only reckless, it’s not legally authorised,” Mr Kaine said. “President Trump betrayed our Kurdish allies that have fought alongside American soldiers in the fight to secure a future without ISIS — and instead moved our troops to protect oil rigs.”
The Pentagon will not say how many forces will remain in Syria for the new mission. Other officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations, suggest the total number could be at least 800 troops, including the roughly 200 who are at the al-Tanf garrison in southern Syria.
According to officials, lawyers are trying to hammer out details of the military order, which would make clear how far troops will be able to go to keep the oil in the Kurds’ control.
The legal authority for US troops going into Syria to fight IS militants was based on the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force that said US troops can use all necessary force against those involved in the Sept 11 attacks on America and to prevent any future acts of international terrorism. So, legal experts say the US may have grounds to use the AUMF to prevent the oil from falling into IS hands.