‘Mission accomplished’, says Trump
President echoes response of George W Bush and describes the attack on Syria as ‘perfectly executed’
DONALD TRUMP declared “mission accomplished” yesterday, echoing George W Bush’s famous Iraq invasion statement, as he praised the Syrian airstrikes as a success.
The US president said the attack was “perfectly executed” in tweets yesterday morning.
Mr Trump also said the US remained “locked and loaded” should the Syrian regime use chemical weapons again, according to Nikki Haley, his UN ambassador.
The comments came the morning after he delivered a live television ad- dress to the nation announcing the military action.
Mr Trump used the statement to call out Russia and Iran for supporting the “mass murder of innocent men, women and children” by the Syrian regime.
US congressional leaders largely rallied around the president, condemning Bashar al-Assad’s original “brutal” attack and agreeing a response was needed.
However, some Democrats said there was “thin legal ground” for the strike and Congress should be consulted by Mr Trump over his Syria strategy.
Pentagon officials called the strikes a success, saying they had struck the “heart” of Assad’s chemical weapons programme and “significantly crippled” its capability.
They repeatedly said the action was not about intervening in the civil war or toppling the regime but making clear the use of chemical weapons was “intolerable”. Mr Trump tweeted: “A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!
“So proud of our great Military which will soon be, after the spending of billions of fully approved dollars, the finest that our Country has ever had. There won’t be anything, or anyone, even close!”
The comment echoed his predecessor, Mr Bush, who stood before a “mission accomplished” banner during a speech on May 1 2003, just six weeks after the Iraq invasion began.
Mr Bush never used the words in his speech but it came to symbolise his administration’s misguided confidence as the war dragged on for years.
Pentagon officials defended Mr Trump’s use of the phrase yesterday, insisting all three Syrian targets had been struck successfully. Dana White, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said: “We hit the heart of the chemical weapon programme so it was mission accomplished.”
Mr Trump stepped before cameras in the White House at 9.02pm Washington time on Friday to tell the American people a strike was under way.
Mr Trump said: “Following the horrors of World War One a century ago, civilised nations joined together to ban chemical warfare. Chemical weapons are uniquely dangerous not only because they inflict gruesome suffering, but because even small amounts can unleash widespread devastation.
“The purpose of our actions tonight is to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread and use of chemical weapons. Establishing this deterrent is a vital national security interest of the United States.
“The combined American, British, and French response to these atrocities will integrate all instruments of our national power – military, economic and diplomatic. We are prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents.”
However, James Mattis, the defence secretary, said an hour later that it was a “one-time shot” unless the Syrian regime used chemical weapons again.
Mr Trump also singled out Assad’s supporters: “To Iran, and to Russia, I ask: What kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent men, women, and children?
“The nations of the world can be judged by the friends they keep. No nation can succeed in the long run by promoting rogue states, brutal tyrants and murderous dictators.”
He added: “Russia must decide if it will continue down this dark path, or if it will join with civilised nations as a force for stability and peace.
Ms Haley said at a UN security council meeting yesterday: “I spoke to the president this morning, and he said ‘if the Syrian regime uses this poisonous gas again, the United States is locked and loaded’.”