President Trump gave an emphatic defense of his intention to conclude “endless wars,” one day after the Senate issued a warning against a “precipitous withdrawal” from Syria and Afghanistan.
“Great nations do not fight endless wars,” Trump declared during his second State of the Union address. “Our approach is based on principled realism.”
Trump has clashed with members of his administration and rattled congressional and European allies in recent months, first through an abrupt December announcement that he would withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, then with a State Department announcement of preliminary progress in a peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Senate lawmakers passed a resolution Monday warning of a potential terrorist resurgence in both countries.
“When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria,” Trump said in his address. “Today, we have liberated virtually all of the territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers. Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home.”
ISIS terrorists retain a presence in Syria and even Iraq, according to a pair of Pentagon reports released this week. They’ve established a particularly resilient affiliate in Afghanistan, the State Department told the Washington Examiner last year, despite a “withering” bombing campaign from the United States.
Trump went on to discuss the “constructive talks” his administration was holding with the Taliban, who he said were “also very happy to be negotiating.” “As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counterterrorism,” he said. “We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement — but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace. And the other side would like to do the same thing. It’s time.”
