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When Trump claims he’s bringing troops “home” from #Iraq, ask how many American forces are deployed in the Middle East. When he hailed pulling 1k troops out of Syria, for example, he sent another 14k troops elsewhere in the region.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/oct/22/brett-mcgurk/mcgurk-right-trump-has-sent-14000-troops-middle-ea/
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/oct/22/brett-mcgurk/mcgurk-right-trump-has-sent-14000-troops-middle-ea/
Worse, he then left behind a much smaller force in Syria to carry out a mission that on his own terms (“keep the oil”) has no legal basis. Those troops are now under threat from Russian military forces that were nowhere near our positions before Trump’s withdrawal order. https://twitter.com/brett_mcgurk/status/1299776845508878336
https://twitter.com/brett_mcgurk/status/1299776845508878336
The small mission in Iraq that began in ‘14 to fight ISIS was designed to be cost effective and sustainable, built with dozens of allies. Reducing the US force from 5200 to 3700 doesn’t save costs; it may increase risks to those still there; with no apparent backfill from allies.
A coordinated plan with allies to reduce US forces while maintaining pressure on ISIS would be welcome. But that’s not what this appears to be. This seems tied more to Trump’s political calendar and the increasing threats to our troops sparked by his own ill-conceived policies.
Importantly: Trump’s own CENTCOM commander recently acknowledged that since the Soleimani strike (which I supported at the time) we’ve had to focus on protecting ourselves rather than fighting ISIS. This appears to be driving a reduction in forces. @WSJ 
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-to-cut-troop-presence-in-iraq-by-about-one-third-officials-say-11598625823
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-to-cut-troop-presence-in-iraq-by-about-one-third-officials-say-11598625823
That’s a bad sign. It shows there was no thought as to what might follow the Soleimani strike. It shows we’re reducing under duress, a signal read from Moscow to Tehran. And it may leave those there more vulnerable—with no clear mission from Trump. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/iran/2020-01-22/cost-incoherent-foreign-policy
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/iran/2020-01-22/cost-incoherent-foreign-policy
Diplomacy can mitigate these risks but Trump shuns diplomacy when it comes to protecting our people. It’s going on two weeks since Russian forces RAMMED and INJURED US troops. Trump’s said nothing. That speaks louder about his priorities than does a small force adjustment. https://twitter.com/brett_mcgurk/status/1298674722096295936
