democrats now. >> you talked about -- thank you. [laughing] >> you talked about syria earlier as an example of what happens when there's no national identity. i think your analysis of how the syrian war started is wrong. the battle in syria in 2011 was a political battle. a lot of people demanded democracy and a were people who did not want democracy, the people who were in power that repressed it with an iron fist. during this uprising there were kurds, sunnis, alawites all demanding and inclusive system for civilians. there was a lot of slogans and thinks using the protests were people are saying we're all syrians come syrians are one, this kind of thing. i wonder if you can expand on this kind of straight up. >> unfortunately, in syria there is a relatively small group of people that were fighting the assad regime that were liberals in the western sense that actually wanted a tolerant democratic syria. i know a lot of them. i have worked with a lot of them. a lot of them are my friends. wish it were more of them but, unfortunately, in that country there are a lot of

get this all started stuff on with syria how united are democrats and republicans in opposing the president on the pullout from american troops from syria. very very united and usually sold so there is a bipartisan. bipartisan front against this decision the president made to pull troops out of syria democrats as well as the g.o.p. the republicans are when he saw an old saying this was the worst idea this is a bad move the u.s. will lose strategic and tactical advantage in the middle east and frankly a lot of republicans even republicans and democrats anyway say like there is really now without james madison james mattis quitting his job as secretary of defense there is not really a comprehensive middle east foreign policy by this administration so republicans and democrats united in their outrage distain for that decision to pull troops out of syria ok this isn't just about syria though the president has also announced that he's pulling out half of the fourteen thousand troops in afghanistan as well as their reaction to that washington. and the reaction is pretty much the same as a i just

syria. also, his rejection of international alliances. tensions in the democratic republic of congo after the government postponed presidential elections after a fire destroyed voting materials. the opposition is calling the move unacceptable. it is time for a business update. massive chaos at london's second-biggest airport. >> drones flying overhead affected at least 120 thousand people in a busy travel season. the disruption was the biggest at gatwick since the volcanic ash cloud in 2010. that lasted d er a week.k. financial impactt this time has yet to be weieigh. with 46 million annual passengers, gatwick is the u.k.'s second d largest airport. it was fororced to shut down for nearly a day andnd a half aftera cancellationsed of all flights. >> my focus is on making sure we get as many passengers to their destinations in time for christmas, but my priority has to be there safety. 9:00 on wednesday, we closed the airport and i am pleased we are back in operation. passengers have seen plans disrupted during the travel period as airlines struggle to accommodate th

and you can see from this map the land that is controlled by the syrian democratic forces, our partners in syria. this is the united states and the syrian democratic forces. we have a significant piece of syria that is now peaceful and stabilized, and isis has been thrown out of that part of syria. but the president's decision which was announced by a tweet is dangerous, premature, and wholly inconsistent with the facts on the ground in syria and our own military's advice. i was listening to senator rubio earlier today talking about what's the plan, what's the plan if we withdraw. well, i'll tell you what the plan is. there is no plan. there is no follow-on what are we going to do if we withdraw from syria. what we know is that the work of our combined joint task force operation inherent resolve and its partner forces, the syrian democratic forces, is truly remarkable. again, we can see it. we can see it in this brown section of the country where we have control and there is peace and stability. senator graham and i, when we visited this summer, we went to mambidge which was controlled by isis f

syria caucus in congress from zero members to 52 members, bipartisan who are friends of free and democratic syria, instead of our organizations, you know, issuing press releases that nobody read except syrian-american, we have now members of congress who are writing op-eds, who are going on mainstream media, who are writing letters to the president and advocating for syria. and that's how it all started. and we dream big, and we try to do some work with the media and, also, with the lobbying company as well as we try to reach the president. and that's how i actually met with the president. >> what did they advise you, then, about how to get to the president? >> well, the advice was based on substance -- that you cannot, you know, ask the president or the administration to be engaged in another war in the middle east, and you cannot ask for nation-building. however, we have leverage as the mightiest nation in the world that we can use to affect political transition in syria. >> and did they tell you that you need to get in the room with the president? >> that opportunity presented itself from our

if democrats had done this, i would have said the same thing. i support troop withdrawal from syriai don't support endless wars. >> do your democratic colleagues agree with you on that point? do military minds agree with you? it would seem sir by everything i am reading they do not. >> some do. loo, i believe it is a fair point to criticize the president for saying you shouldn't do this by tweet. you shouldn't bypass your secretary of defense and not have an interagency process. but on the substance, should we be withdrawing our troops from the war zone where there is no strategy and no well defined mission, that answer would be yes. >> congressman ted lieu, thank you very much on this busy weekend. i appreciate your time as always, sir. >>> the end is year? or is it? new reports suggest when robert mueller may be, iffed. reaction to what that means for the president and the legal peril he may face. ♪ our mission is to make offshore wind one of the principal new sources of energy. not every bank is willing to get involved in a first-of-its-kind project. citi saw the promise of clean

i spoke to salih muslim, who's based in northern syria, where he represents the democratic union partye kurdish community. i asked him what impact a withdrawal of the american troops, who have often supported the kurdish forces, would have. well, they were consulting your people, and training, as advisers on the battlefield. they were not fighting directly, they were in the back lines. so this is what they were doing until now and maybe you can recognise that as there are no casualties at all in the battles. of course we have given thousands of martyrs but no casualties from the international coalition at all. we were in the front lines. what will the effect be of the us troops leaving in that region of syria? well, the decision by mr trump saying isis was finished, actually it is not finished. we are talking about maybe 4,000 skilled fighters of is in the area and the heavy clashes have been going on for three days. so is is not finished yet, other than the other areas. so what we are afraid of, maybe they will find an opportunity to organise themselves and to be a threat to everybody

in syria illegitimate. a democraticepublic of congo to vote on the new president after the resignation of joseph kabila. it is time for business news. french parliament has approved year's budget. >> a final vote at the national assembly. 100 82 lawmakers are voting in favor of the proposal. the revised budget proposal takes into account recent promises by emmanuel macron those include tax breaks and an increase in income. the government insists next year spending plan will be exceptional. >> the state is no farther -- is no father christmas. it might not be the mostt pressing issue, but we need to understand the debt is at 100% of the national wealth. >> i work with the president and the prime minister every day. they are aware of the concerns. let's turn our attention to japan where the former nissan chief could be released on bail. >> a court has rejected the detention extend the of the nissan chief. avestigators may not have solid case. investigators are appealing the ruling. we look at how the situation has develop

france that day will be sure he will never let out a delegation from the white peachey dominated syria democratic forces is trying to reach out to paris to seek support following the u.s. decision to leave it seems the message was not to france but to other powers as well the s.d.f. is believed to be reengaging with the syrian government to cut a deal that will allow it to stay in its autonomous enclave in the north east turkey has repeatedly said that it has no territorial ambitions in syria and its fight against the y.p. g. is about its national security interests it believes the y. p.g. is the syrian offshoot of the outlawed kurdistan workers' party or the p.k. k. which is fighting for autonomy in south east turkey. turkey also backs what it calls the rightful owners of y p g controlled areas some arab tribes and others have accused the kurdish force of capturing predominantly arab lands and its military campaign against eisel those tribes who say they are being prevented from returning home or throwing their weight behind turkey which seems to be coordinating an arrangement on the future of t

a delegation from the white peachy dominated syria democratic forces is trying to reach out to paris to seek support following the u.s. decision to leave it seems the message was not to france but to other powers as well the s.d.f. is believed to be reengaging with the syrian government to cut a deal that will allow it to stay in its autonomous enclave in the north east turkey has repeatedly said that it has no territorial ambitions in syria and its fight against the y.p. g. is about its national security interests it believes the y p g is the syrian offshoot of the outlawed kurdistan workers' party or the p.k. k. which is fighting for autonomy in south east turkey. turkey also backs what it calls the rightful owners of y p g controlled areas some arab tribes and others have accused the kurdish force of capturing predominantly arab lands and its military campaign against eisel those tribes who say they are being prevented from returning home or throwing their weight behind turkey which seems to be coordinating an arrangement on the future of that corner of syria with the united state

as we have seen time and time again, turkey has had concerns about the key alliance of the syria democratic forces who fought alongside the american troops. they want to go in and clean them out of northern syria. dave. >> this is almost what president trump campaigned against president obama doing in iraq. nima, thank you. >>> it could be a coincidence, but president trump is giving russia two big gifts in a day. pulling u.s. troops and lifting sanctions on firms of friends of vladimir putin. the u.s. is sanctioning four entities for interfering in the 2016 election. this morning, putin is holding the annual end of the year news conference about his foreign and domestic policy. let's go live to nathan hodge. the news conference is getting under way now. has he mentioned anything about the president's idea of withdrawing from syria? >> reporter: alison, this is just getting under way. the marathon press conference that putin holds at the end of every year. we expect it to run three or four hours. he is just in his introductory remar remarks. this decision by trump has been met with constern

in syria the official spokesman of the armed opposition the syrian democratic forces confirm that the surprise withdrawal could endanger kurds in the region. because the american decision to withdraw from syria is sudden and shocking to us and even for the american troops here on the ground and the american withdrawal will surely contribute in one way or another to escalating the continuous turkish threats toward the north of syria in general and towards the kurdish people in particular. meanwhile the u.s. plan to pull its troops from syria has caused among the mothers and wives of local fighters killed. they gathered near what's thought to be on the american base in aleppo province appealing for the decision to be reversed and for the u.s. to help the syrian democratic leaders. america turned his back on us as we continue to find. any and. why did they leave i said this time. we went to the airfield they promised us that they would not leave and now as they've sold us out. a german journalist imagination has got the better of him he's been called faking some of his award winning stor

in syria the official spokesman for the opposition the syrian democratic forces confirm that the surprise withdrawal could endanger kurds in the region but this is where the american decision to withdraw from syria is sudden and shocking to us and even for the american troops here on the ground. the american withdrawal will surely contribute in one way or another to escalating the continuous turkish threats toward the north of syria in general and towards the kurdish people in particular. the us the police troops from syria schools anger among the mothers and wives of local fighters killed by so they gathered near what's thought to be an american base in aleppo province appealing for the decision to be reversed and for the u.s. to help the syrian democratic forces you know. america turned his back on us as we continue to fight indeed. it was our airline vanny iraq and. why did they leave i said this time. you know we went to the airfield they promised that they would not leave and now they've sold us out. it's past eight moscow time folks play with us coming up among stories ahead the ger

mattison brain resigns in protest of president trump's decision to pull american troops from syria top democrats republicans and nato allies are concerned i'm karl nason in berlin and this is the day. with. general. mad dog. what a great guy he's going to be. i think that everybody. should release to slaughter think nation him about him to resign not the more secretary that was one of the few symbols of the few items of strength and stability in this it ministration but they disagree at times but that doesn't mean you don't have a good relationship with somebody it was no games bad dog plays no game dreich. everything that indicates the ability everything that indicates strength everything that indicates knowledge. is leaving this administration. also coming up christians and pakistan living in fear of blasphemy laws targeting religious minorities now with christmas approaching bill a high profile court ruling give some families the gift of hope. then. we always live in fear and because of this we feel insecure. so when we talk about your future i think what kind of future can we have. the law a

forces from syria and criticized democrats for not funding his border wall with mexico. >>> plus, theecretary of homeland security reacts after a second migrant child dies in u.s. custody. what the government is saying about that today. >>> and the stock market makes a major comeback. ♪ >>> good morning, everyone. i'm ayman mohyeldin alongside louis burgdorf. we begin with president trump visiting american troops serving in an active war zone for the very first time as commander in chief. it all happened yesterday. trump arrived in iraq late on christmas night just outside of baghdad. press secretary sarah huckabee sanders also said that trump met with senior military leadership to devise a powerful plan to continue on the path to total victory and that people will see results over the next few weeks. back in october trump told the a.p. that he didn't think it was, quote, overly necessary to visit troops in a combat zone, adding that he's very busy with other issues. yesterday the president had this message for those serving on the front lines, saying that america has been losing the

syria. between tehran to lebanon will exist funnel weapons to hezbollah and other forces aligned against israel. most importantly, none of us believe that isis has been defeated. now, two democrats and one republican saying the same thing. the war has not yet been one. the 2200 syria performing vital national security functions for russ, which includes support for key allies called the kurds and as an insurance policy against the rise of isis in syria and to me we are all worried about the use of this decision regarding russia, iran and assad. so this resolution, the resolve is basically asked the president to reverse course, and make any future decisions of trying to syria on the ground after consulting with the national security team in the same goal of withdrawing from syria but just wanted what an appropriate fashion. finally after the decision itself. he landed yesterday morning coming back from afghanistan and if anyone tells the isis has been destroyed in afghanistan will have a serious conversation. our goal is to withdraw from afghanistan based on conditions on the ground double it displayed honorably. this decision has been made by the president, not with military advi

mattison brain resigns in protest of president trump's decision to pull american troops from syria top democrats republicans and nato allies are concerned i'm karl naslund in berlin and this is the day.

colleagues this week the president's new policy on syria would make it impossible for him to continue in his post already both congressional democrats and republicans have called trump syria decision dangerous and deplored jim madison's departure from the pentagon now those who had been fighting alongside the americans are looking to these legislators to try to change the white house's mind dear senator lindsey graham south carolina kurds in syria appreciate your strong opposition on the wrongfulness of trump's unilateral decision to withdraw from syria and your principled stance on standing by your kurdish allies the next step in fighting eisold now uncertain as the trumpet ministration declares it won't be u.s. forces and resources leading the charge rosalyn jordan al-jazeera washington that the u.s. government's expected to stay policy closed pos christmas day in a standoff over president trump's amounts of money to build a border war with mexico and that will leave around eight hundred thousand workers out of pocket until it gets sorted out john hendren has wall from washington. the two sides seem far apart in the government shu

this decision we do as you mentioned have that statement now from the syrian democratic forces the u.s. is ally in northeast syria fighting i saw led by the kurds and they very very strongly worded statement from them the war against terrorism has not ended and the islamic state group. has not been defeated. that the war is of the decisive stage and so it's a very critical about about all of this we've also seen a great deal of criticism on capitol hill about the process how this happened this was announced in a tweet so bob corker the senate foreign relations chad actually someone who had a meeting with donald trump and was abruptly counseled while he was waiting at the white house he he wasn't happy at all about all of this this is what he had to say about the process as well. terrible thing for our nation it's a terrible thing for the. for the allies that we've been working with this terrible thing for the s.t.'s. and it's just. it's hard to imagine that any president would wake up and make this kind of decision with this little communication with this little preparation so he had what consequences could there

twenty fifteen he fled to berlin since then he has been continuing the struggle to ensure a democratic and peaceful syria. specially the north. faces this scandal for. torture the bad condition. of the families who feel that they. ignore nobody care about their suffering. and really if we don't find. justice solution for those people for food then just there's no justice on the what . human rights it's. that it's not that fate so we push them to go to the extent of their. thought. to get out as they should like either or isis. human rights organizations has to make that well over one hundred thousand people in syria are in captivity or have disappeared eighty percent of them following government orders. many families in syria have somebody who is missing where they detained or disappeared. manson darwish and here are by their determined to ensure that these people are not forgotten they launched a global search for witnesses from syria in their efforts to file criminal charges . the united nations has proved to be a singular disappointment for seven years the body has been observing events in syria start

you talk about regional players being worried i mean where does this leave the kurds at this syria democratic forces i mean this will please the turkish president who wants the kurds out but they'll feel compete in let down abandoned by trump surprise decisions. indeed they should because the american turkish relationship has known its ups and downs right now they seem to have a reprimand and the kids are playing paying the price as they of course did in one thousand seventy five when saddam hussein and the shah signed their own agreement regarding the shuttle because it's having no land of their own always paid a price but they also are not unified and we all remember that in september of twenty seventeen the americans begged him to back off from their idea of striving for independence they were badly beaten in iraq of course but yes the cuts are on the road i mean a final thought to you so when u.s. troops do leave syria do you think it's likely to reenergize isolates many of the key players on the ground seem to think i mean is i selected to regroup in a vacuum left by the u.s. military ye

colleagues this week the president's new policy on syria would make it impossible for him to continue in his post already both congressional democrats and republicans have called trump syria decision dangerous and deployed jim matta says departure from the pentagon now those who had been fighting alongside the americans are looking to these legislators to try to change the white house's mind dear senator lindsey graham south carolina kurds in syria appreciate your strong opposition on the wrongfulness of trumps unilateral decision to withdraw from syria and your principled stance on standing by your kurdish allies the next step in fighting eisold now uncertain as the trumpet ministration declares it won't be u.s. forces and resources leading the charge rosalyn jordan al-jazeera washington. just days after the announcement of a u.s. troop withdrawal by trying there are reports the takesh on is sending soldiers to the syrian border present at iran has threatened to strike y p g targets and within syria the cut is scrapers being bought by u.s. special forces in the fight against eisel many fan the u.s. pullout from syria could now lead

needs to be signed by midnight tomorrow and supported now by both republicans and democrats very much in doubt. on syria, the president claims, among other things, that the u.s. gets nothing for being the policeman of the middle east. hours earlier a bipartisan group of senators warned a pull-out would be a premature and costly mistake that not only threatens the safety and security of the united states but also emboldens is isis, iran and russia. they are all secelebrating this decision today. is there any understanding of what led the president to make this surprise decision, a decision that frankly surprised his commanders here, his commanders on the ground, his senior most national security advisers. what is the why? >> reporter: well, jim, this is something that president trump sees as a fulfillment of a campaign promise, to bring u.s. troops home from conflicts abroad, reinvesting those resources here in the united states. but as you pointed out, republicans on the hill see this as a major blunder, perhaps the biggest one so far of trump's administration. the question as to why the president made

most affected by trump's decision and that is the commander of the syrian-led, kurdish-led, syria democratic forces militia that's been doing the fighting against isis. so i arranged through our special forces to call him last night at his headquarters inside syria, we talked on an encrypted line for about an hour, and, joe, even in this period where just so many things that we see break our heart, i found that listening to this man talk in this quiet, careful, dignified way about a betrayal by the united states, which had promised a week before, they had sent an ambassador to see him who said, we won't be leaving until we have enduring victory against isis, until all iranian troops are out, until we have a stable political settlement for syria, a week later trump on a whim, it seems, after a phone call from president erdogan in turkey pulls the plug, leaving this guy holding the bag. his troops are on the front lines against what's left of isis in the far eastern part of syria and what blew my mind, i will end it with this, joe, after expressing shock at at what america had done, i said, so

years artie's killed the promise announcement withdrawing the usa from syria has got the media up in arms the republicans and the democrats are livid they say that the usa is losing out i believe it is a catastrophic mistake the job's not over dangerous premature jeopardize america's mission in syria and hurt allies makes our country an even bigger laughingstock than it already is that gift it benefits iran the only reason they're not dancing in the end to ron in isis camps is they just don't believe in density media's outrage does not match public opinion polls show that eighty six percent of americans say that u.s. military force should only be this isn't last resort now that opinion used to be very common on the opposite side of the political spectrum remember the peace marchers the antiwar movement this is what bernie sanders had to say my main concern terms of the middle east is to make certain that the united states does not get involved in perpetual war in the quagmire. iraq in syria trump made the same announcement last year but forces swiftly moved in to change his mind russian president vladimir putin who sent f

colleagues this week the president's new policy on syria would make it impossible for him to continue in his post. already both congressional democrats and republicans have called trump's syria decision dangerous and deplored jim madison's departure from the pentagon now those who had been fighting alongside the americans are looking to these legislators to try to change the white house's mind dear senator lindsey graham south carolina kurds in syria appreciate your strong opposition on the wrongfulness of trumps you know a lot of old decision to withdraw from syria and your principled stance on standing by your kurdish allies the next step in fighting i so now certainly as the trumpet ministration declares it won't be us forces and resources leading the charge rosalyn jordan al-jazeera washington. brett mcgurk spain instrumental in shaping washington's policy in northern syria he was appointed as the u.s. envoy for the global coalition fighting i saw under the obama administration back in twenty fifteen before that mr mcgurk was the deputy assistant secretary of state for iraq and iran and was described as an architect of obama's fa

that's according to the syria democratic forces.nce that's credited with playing a major role in the virtual elimination of is. this is statement which says the decision will have "negative effect on the operation to end terrorism." but president trump defended his decision. we have been fighting for a long time in syria. i have been president ramos time in syria. i have been president ra m os two time in syria. i have been president ramos two years and we have really stepped it up. we have one against isis. we have one against isis. many don't agree. france — a key part of the us—led coalition against is — says it will remain in northern syria for now. the uk says the threat is still "very much alive". these are recent pictures from the the royal air force which shows it bombing a key target there. the coalition liberated the last urban is stronghold in the past few days. so is has lost territory. but this analysis by new york times journalist rukmini callimachi says @rcallimachi "the big winner? isis, they say, which can now breat

next year but not having enough enough to eat is a major concern also particularly in yemen syria the democraticrepublic of congo and south sudan. ending child slavery is a major goal for a nobel peace prize winner and such out the is taking his message to the big screen with the help of the documentary filmmaker organizers of the film festival here in a pledge to help him reach his goal. reports. the one had been missing for seven months that's how it has been taken to get to this is why. we have been a. the price of free an award winning documentary has been online for only a few days and already it's been seen by more than two and a half million people. goes looking back slavery has been abolished. the film explores chi lies that the efforts to expose the plight of young children once you are trafficked into forced labor group in south the r.t. is now taking his mission to another level i am going to create to pay paul. all through this campaign that hundred million you want and children can become the chain makers into embryos for the cause off hundred million left out sisters and brothers o

colleagues this week the president's new policy on syria would make it impossible for him to continue in his post already both congressional democrats and republicans have called trump syria decision dangerous and deplored jim matta says departure from the pentagon now those who had been fighting alongside the americans are looking to these legislators to try to change the white house's mind dear senator lindsey graham south carolina kurds in syria appreciate your strong opposition on the wrongfulness of trumps unilateral decision to withdraw from syria and your principled stance on standing by your kurdish allies the next step in fighting i so now uncertain as the trumpet ministration declares it won't be us forces and resources leading the charge rosalyn jordan al-jazeera washington. following the announcement of the u.s. troop pullout by donald trump there are reports that the turkish army is sending soldiers to the border with syria the turkish president has threatened to strike kurdish why peachey targets in northern syria the group was being backed by u.s. special forces in the fight against eisel office the u.s. pullout from

colleagues this week the president's new policy on syria would make it impossible for him to continue in his post already both congressional democrats and republicans have called trump syria decision dangerous and deployed jim matta says departure from the pentagon now those who had been fighting alongside the americans are looking to these legislators to try to change the white house's mind dear senator lindsey graham south carolina kurds in syria appreciate your strong opposition on the wrongfulness of trumps unilateral decision to withdraw from syria and your principled stance on standing by your kurdish allies the next step in fighting i saw now uncertain as the trumpet ministration declares it won't be u.s. forces and resources leading the charge rosalyn jordan al-jazeera washington following trump's announcement there are reports of turkish troops being sent to the syrian border turkey's threaten to strike kurdish y p g targets in northern syria the group was being backed by u.s. special forces in the fight against eisel from the turkey syria border xenophobia reports. these syrian refugees have been living in this turkish bor

colleagues this week the president's new policy on syria would make it impossible for him to continue in his post already both congressional democrats and republicans have called trump syria decision dangerous and deployed jim matta says departure from the pentagon now those who had been fighting alongside the americans are looking to these legislators to try to change the white house's mind dear senator lindsey graham south carolina kurds in syria appreciate your strong opposition on the wrongfulness of trump's unilateral decision to withdraw from syria and your principled stance on standing by your kurdish allies the next step in fighting eisold now uncertain as the trumpet ministration declares it won't be u.s. forces and resources leading the charge rosalyn jordan al-jazeera washington. following trump's announcement there were reports of turkish troops being sent to the syrian border turkey certain to strike kurdish y p g targets in northern syria the group was being backed by u.s. special forces in the fight against eisel from the turkish syrian border zone ahead of the polls. these syrian refugees have been living in this tur

was other regional powers in order to at least we can iran if not to say dr iran out of syria and the democratic republic of congo a general strike is being held in opposition or is excluded from sunday's presidential election workers who walked out in the northeastern city of beni the police have fired tear gas a protest as in goma the shortage of voting machines in the capital kinshasa is concerning election organizers of course but malcolm web is in can chance and sent us this update. in the eastern city of beni right now it's been it's been heated two shops are closed businesses are closed and on the one hand this means for the opposition that they can avoid the risk of being accused of provoking violence which could risk them being disqualified from the election or attract condemnation from the international community on the other hand it's possible that this might put more pressure on the population themselves there who are struggling day to day meal to meal to get by rather than actually putting a lot of pressure on the electoral commission which is here in the capital kinshasa meanwhile

colleagues this week the president's new policy on syria would make it impossible for him to continue in his post. already both congressional democrats and republicans have called trump's syria decision dangerous and deplored jim madison's departure from the pentagon now those who had been fighting alongside the americans are looking to these legislators to try to change the white house's mind dear senator lindsey graham south carolina kurds in syria appreciate your strong opposition on the wrongfulness of trumps unilateral decision to withdraw from syria and your principled stance on standing by your kurdish allies the next step in fighting now certain as the trumpet ministration declares it won't be u.s. forces and resources leading the charge. al-jazeera washington just days after that announcement of a u.s. troop withdrawal there are reports that the takesh on me is sending soldiers to the syrian border president threaten to strike y p g targets in northern syria the kaddish creepers being backed by u.s. special forces in the fight against i so many fear the u.s. pullout from syria could not lead to a power vacuum on the ground a