FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

Rand Paul Reports, Trump Going Ahead with Syria Pullout, Despite Deadly ISIS Attack

Jan. 17, 2019 (EIRNS)—During a meeting with a group of Republican Senators yesterday, President Donald Trump let them know he plans to stick to his withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan, according to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who also had a one-on-one meeting with the President, reported Sputnik.

“Not only is he following through with his Syria policy, I really do think there will be changes in Afghanistan as well,” Paul said.

“If you look at the polling data for the American people, I think the American people are with the President and they’re tired, frankly, of both parties, who are unwilling to stand up and say enough is enough,”

Paul said. From now on, in terms of Afghanistan, he said, “we’re going to do things differently.”

In a particularly insightful comment, Paul observed,

“I will tell you that, if you look at [Trump’s] language and his tweets on endless wars, and you hear him talk about how long this has gone on, I think you’re really seeing one of the extraordinary things that people couldn’t figure out: How did Donald Trump get elected? It was because he doesn’t fit neatly into a box. He was a different kind of Republican who actually looked at the issues of war and said, ‘You know what? We ought to think of America first.’ ”

Paul further reported that,

“We talked extensively about Syria. He talked about how we will continue to make sure that ISIS is not a problem, but at the same time, we will not just go into theater and stay forever. I think he was steadfast in that.”

An ISIS suicide bombing in Manbij yesterday killed four Americans—two service members and two civilians—as well as ten non-Americans, mostly civilians. Three American service members were also among the wounded.