President Donald Trump’s announcement of a US-led strike on suspected Syrian chemical weapons sites last week signaled a changing of the guard in the war-torn country. As missiles struck three Syrian facilities, the US commander-in-chief said he would seek to hand off more responsibility in the yearslong conflict to Arab partners.
As the dust cleared from more than 100 American, French and British precision-guided missiles, The Wall Street Journal reported that national security adviser John Bolton soon got on the phone with top Egyptian officials to ask for Cairo to contribute troops to the US-led effort to defeat the Islamic State (IS) in Syria’s northeast.
“We have asked our partners to take greater responsibility for securing their home region, including contributing large amounts of money for the resources, equipment and all of the anti-[IS] efforts,” Trump said. “Increased engagement from our friends, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt and others can ensure that Iran does not profit from the eradication of [IS].”
The White House has asked those Arab nations to contribute funds and troops to stabilize Syria after 2,000 US troops leave the country. But Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates remain embroiled in Yemen, and Egypt’s weak commitment to the terror fight has frustrated the United States despite $1.3 billion in annual military grants.
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