Home Democrat says US troops 'have to remain in northern Syria' in wake of Iranian-backed assaults

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ailing.) stated on Sunday that the U.S. navy won’t go away Syria after a string of assaults from  Iran-backed militias on American bases within the nation final week left one U.S. contractor useless and 5 service members wounded, saying “we’re not going anyplace.”

“We’re not going anyplace, we now have to remain in northern Syria and work with our companions in Iraq as properly in combating ISIS,” Krishnamoorthi stated in an interview with ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

There are greater than 900 U.S. troops in Syria, tasked with combating again any rising remnants of ISIS. The U.S. stated final week that an Iranian-backed group struck an American base in northeast Syria with a drone final Thursday, leaving the one contractor useless. The U.S. responded with precision airstrikes of Iranian-backed teams on the identical day, on the course of President Biden. 

A second U.S. base was hit on Friday by a rocket assault, with no casualties reported. 

“I believe the Biden administration did precisely what it needed to do in responding to those Iranian militias,” Krishnamoorthi stated.

Iran-backed militia teams have attacked U.S. troops in Syria a minimum of 78 instances since 2021, in line with officers.

Nationwide Safety spokesman John Kirby stated Sunday on CBS’s “Face The Nation” that the U.S. would “see the place this goes,” leaving the door open to much more American retaliatory assaults on the militias.

“The president… made it very clear that we’re gonna all the time act to defend our troops and our amenities,” Kirby stated, reiterating Biden is dedicated to conserving these U.S. troops in Syria.

“Right here’s what’s not gonna change… the mission in ISIS will not be gonna change,” Kirby stated. “Now we have beneath 1,000 troops in Syria which might be going after that community which is, whereas tremendously diminished, nonetheless viable and nonetheless important.”