Trump repeated his claim today that he really wants to get out of Syria because…he’s apparently become a fiscal hawk (h/t: RCP):
So because we’ve spent trillions in the Middle East since 2002, it’s not worth a little more money to ensure we don’t lose our gains against ISIS? Or keep from ceding the country to Erdogan, Putin, and the Ayatollahs?
I guess not to Trump.
In related news…the US is apparently setting up two new bases in Manbij, Syria:
AHVAL NEWS – The United State is setting up new military bases in Syria’s northern flashpoint city of Manbij, Turkish government-controlled Anadolu Agency said on Tuesday.
U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the city of Manbij from Islamic State (ISIS) in August, 2016. Turkey regards the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the Syrian Kurdish militia that makes up the bulk of the SDF, as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has been fighting Turkey for more than 30 years.
But the United States backs the SDF as the most effective land force to fight ISIS and has troops stationed in Manbij. Washington says Turkey’s offensive against the YPG is undermining the fight against the remnants of ISIS.
Turkey and the United States have been negotiating over fate of Manbij for months. Ankara maintains the previous Obama administration promised Syrian Kurdish fighters would leave the city once it was captured from ISIS.
But, Anadolu said, “the U.S. is extending an observatory in Dadat village, northern Manbij, in order to build a base, according to information received from trustworthy local sources in Manbij.”
“The base will be located 8 km from Sajur River, which forms the frontline between Jarabulus, the Euphrates Shield area, and Manbij, the YPG/PKK invaded area.”
Anadolu said another U.S. base was being built in Manbij 4 km from the frontline, south of Dadat and “when completed, this will be the closest U.S. base to the Euphrates Shield forces.”
So if Trump wants to get out, whey are we building two new bases there?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯