US House votes against resolution to pull American troops out of Syria

Legislation directing President Joe Biden to withdraw about 900 American troops from Syria within 180 days was defeated in the House of Representatives yesterday, as opponents of the measure warned it could allow the Islamic State to regroup and endanger the United States and its allies, according to the Associated Press.

In support of the document that called on US President Joe Biden to withdraw the US army from Syria, only 103 lawmakers voted in favor of it, while 321 voted against it.

Despite its defeat in Syria, ISIS sleeper cells still launch attacks across Syria and Iraq, where it once declared rule.

The Republican Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, said that last year the United States participated in operations with partners that resulted in the killing of 466 ISIS militants and the arrest of 250 others. If the United States withdraws its forces now, this could lead to a resurgence of ISIS.

McCaul added, "The withdrawal of this lawful and authorized deployment of US forces should be based on the complete defeat of ISIS."

The ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, said he opposes an indefinite US military presence in Syria, but said of the bill: "This action forces an early end to our mission at a critical time for our effort."

"The hard truth is, we either fight them in Syria or we fight them here. We either fight them and defeat them in Syria, or we fight them in the streets of our nation," Representative Ryan Zinke said.

Last week, the Army's chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, made a surprise visit to Syria to get an update on the US mission to combat ISIS.

a.k

ANHA