In a rare display of bipartisan unity, the US House of Representatives has voted by a large majority to condemn US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw troops from eastern Syria, as well as the Turkish invasion of that territory that quickly followed.
The House voted 354-60 to approve House Joint Resolution 77, expressing the legislative house's opposition to Trump's withdrawal of US troops from eastern Syria and the subsequent attack on Kurdish forces there by the Turkish military.
By passing the measure, the House resolves “that Congress (1) opposes the decision to end certain United States efforts to prevent Turkish military operations against Syrian Kurdish forces in Northeast Syria; (2) calls on Turkish President Erdogan to immediately cease unilateral military action in Northeast Syria and to respect existing agreements relating to Syria; (3) calls on the United States to continues supporting Syrian Kurdish communities through humanitarian support, including to those displaced or otherwise affected by ongoing violence in Syria; (4) calls on the United States to work to ensure that the Turkish military acts with restraint and respects existing agreements relating to Syria; and (5) calls on the White House to present a clear and specific plan for the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
While Trump first announced in December 2018 that the more than 1,000 US troops in eastern Syria would soon be departing, once Daesh was defeated,…
