Congress: US withdrawal is a golden opportunity for ISIS to return to Syria

Ahmed Sultan

A bipartisan panel of members of the Republican and Democratic Congress in Syria has released a new report on the planned US withdrawal from Syria in the coming period, saying the civil war is continuing and that the pullout increases the chances of ISIS returning.

US President Donald Trump announced in January that his administration would withdraw US troops in Syria appropriately, stressing continued fighting against ISIS there.

Currently, US forces are located in northeastern Syria and are participating with the SDF in patrolling the Syrian cities captured by ISIS.

A report by the US Congress late last week criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria, saying it undermined the credibility of the United States.

The report said that the US withdrawal would hand Syria over a gold plate for the terrorist group Daesh and the Al-Qaeda branch in Syria, known as the “Guardians of the Deen”, and would give greater authority to Russia and Iran.

Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown, spokesman for the US Central Command, said that northwest of Syria remains a safe haven for terrorist organizations, especially the branch of al-Qaeda in Syria “Guards of Religion”, adding that the organization continues to coordinate and plan terrorist operations against the West from its strongholds in Syria.

The United States still lacks the capacity to mount a comprehensive counterterrorism campaign in northwestern Syria, Idlib, he said, urging the Trump administration to find a way to put greater pressure on terrorist groups in Idlib.

The report confirms that ISIS in Syria has not been defeated, despite the Kurdish forces’ control of the areas controlled by ISIS.

According to the report of the Syria Study Group, the terrorist organization Daesh is recruiting new cells and is waiting for an appropriate opportunity to return to control the land again.

The report pointed out that the Kurdish areas remain unstable, and faces several challenges, most notably fears of a military incursion by Turkey or Syria, which could lead to the escape of ISIS fighters detained by the Kurdish forces.

Turkey agreed, recently, to conduct joint patrols with US forces to secure the border areas between Turkey and Kurdish-controlled areas. The congressional report shows that the expected US withdrawal could lead to the collapse of the truce between the Kurds and Turkey, which will contribute to the return of ISIS and its resurgence.

The report of the Syria Study Group also warned of the practices of Kurdish forces against Arabs in areas controlled by the Kurds, pointing out that ISIS is playing on the tendency of persecution of Kurds to Arabs, to attract new supporters.