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Trump allies in Congress assail decision to let Turkey attack Syrian Kurds

Lawmakers and presidential candidates are lambasting President Donald Trump for greenlighting Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria.
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) holds a news conference to discuss immigration legislation and the U.S.-Mexico border on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 15, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC14E481C700
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President Donald Trump’s green light on Sunday for Turkey to attack Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria has generated widespread condemnation from political allies and rivals alike on Capitol Hill while opening the door for Democratic presidential candidates to hit him on foreign policy.

Trump’s hawkish allies in Congress immediately warned that the decision to abandon the Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) would pave the way for the return of the Islamic State (IS) and asserted that withdrawing troops from the Turkish border is a boon for Iran and Russia.

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