Troop pullout: Senate rebukes Trump’s policy

A U.S. DEFENCE DEPARTMENT REPORT SAYS ISLAMIC STATE IS STILL A ‘POTENT FORCE OF DISCIPLINED FIGHTERS’ AND CAN MAKE A RESURGENCE

WASHINGTON: The Republican-led US Senate passed a legislative measure on Monday that breaks with President Donald Trump on his decision to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan.

Also, the US defence department said in a report that the Islamic State (IS) group “remains a potent force” and will regain power once American soldiers leave Syria.

The double blow to the US president reflected the differences that exist within the US administration on the controversial issue of troop pullout from West Asia. The standoff has already led to the exit of James Mattis as defence secretary, who resigned in protest.

The Senate passed a non-binding and largely symbolic bill, which amends a broader West Asia legislation, to convey the message that terrorist groups continue to pose a “serious threat” in both Syria and Afghanistan. Through the move, the Senate counselled against the “precipitous withdrawal” of American troops from those countries.

The bill, and the broader legislation, must be passed by the House of Representatives to make it to the US president’s desk for his signature and enactment.

Trump can veto it by exercising the presidential authority to dismiss a bill sent to him by Republicans, driven by Senator Mich Mcconnell, leader of the upper chamber of the US Congress and an ally.

Trump has famously ordered the complete withdrawal of an estimated 2,000 troops from Syria, saying their task was over as the IS has been decimated. Then there was formal indication of the drawdown in Afghanistan as well, but reports suggest that only a quarter of the 14,000 soldiers from there will be send home.

Trump’s repeated assertion that the IS has been decimated is not backed by US intelligence, while defence officials believe that though diminished significantly, the terrorist group is not finished yet and can regroup for resurgence once US troops are out of the country.

The IS remains a “potent force of battle-hardened and well-disciplined fighters who could likely resurge in Syria,” according to a report by the inspector general of the US department, an internal watchdog, that was released on Monday.

The report echoed US intelligence chief’s World Threat Assessment report unveiled recently.