Blackburn partners with Dem in letter on Kurds
Tennessee Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has partnered with a Democratic lawmaker in asking President Donald Trump to protect Kurdish troops as the U.S. military withdraws from Syria.
Blackburn, a conservative freshman senator and ardent supporter of Trump, co-signed the letter with U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-illinois.
The former Tennessee congressman was elected this November to retired U.S. Sen. Bob Corker's seat.
Blackburn and Duckworth urged the president to develop a strategy to protect Kurdish militia and other troops in the Syrian Democratic Forces in light of Trump's decision last month to order the removal of more than 2,000 U.S. troops from the war-torn country.
"Abandoning friends and doing nothing to prevent their slaughter would undermine the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and jeopardize our nation’s honor," the two lawmakers wrote in the letter.
Nashville is home to the largest Kurdish population in the United States, estimated at roughly 15,000.
In a statement about the letter, Blackburn said the protection of Kurdish allies was "in the national security interest of the United States" and called them a "reliable partner in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS."
Opposition to troop withdrawal
Trump declared last month that the Islamic State had been defeated in Syria, despite disagreement from some of his top military leaders and leaders in his own party.
Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who had previously said U.S. troops should remain in Syria to keep the region stable amid peace negotiations, resigned after Trump's decision, saying he feared ISIS "could have an opportunity to revive" as a result.
Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also were among those to immediately voice opposition to news of the withdrawal plans.
In their letter to Trump, Blackburn and Duckworth asked the White House to quickly develop and implement a plan to protect the SDF, as well as provide regular updates to Congress about its strategy.
Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.