GOP lawmaker introduces resolution to withdraw US troops from Syria

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Feb 19:20
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The Republican lawmaker has argued that Congress, although it has the power to declare war, has "never authorized the use of military force in Syria."

US occupation's military vehicles on a patrol in the countryside near the town of Qamishli, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022 (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)

Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz's office said in a press release on Wednesday that the lawmaker introduced a resolution calling for the withdrawal of US troops from Syria.

"Rep. Gaetz, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, filed the War Powers Resolution on Tuesday following a February 17th press release from U.S. Central Command, which announced four US servicemembers were wounded during a partnered US and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) helicopter raid in northeastern Syria, ultimately killing a senior ISIS [a terrorist group, banned in Russia] leader," the release stated.

As per the constitution, the House of Representatives is required to vote on the resolution within 18 days of its introduction.

The Republican lawmaker has argued that Congress, although it has the power to declare war, has "never authorized the use of military force in Syria."

The same lawmaker had introduced earlier this month the Ukraine Fatigue Resolution intended to cease US assistance to Ukraine, and push for a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.

The US frequently loots oil from Syrian gas fields and transports them to other occupation bases in Iraq via illegal crossings.

On December 14, 2022, Syria's Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said in a statement that the US occupation forces and their affiliated military groups' systematic lootings of Syrian oil, wheat, and other national resources have amounted to direct losses valued at $25.9 billion and indirect losses valued at over $86 billion.

It further estimated the total value of the Syrian oil sector losses to amount to $111.9 billion.

On February 12, a piece published in the South African Newspaper IOL said that the disastrous earthquake had exposed the true face of US occupation forces in Syria.

South African writer Abbey Makoe explained that Syria has suffered immensely under a 12-year war prior to the devastating earthquake. During that war, the US imposed unilateral sanctions against Syria as it supported "various Arab rebels fighting to overthrow the government of President Bashar Al-Assad," as per US claims.

These restrictions have hindered aid to the Syrian people and nation leaving anyone stuck beneath the rubble to face their own fate as the Syrian search and rescue teams undergo major setbacks at all levels.

The newspaper also highlighted that the White Helmets, which are "Western-funded fighters to topple the Syrian government," are also directly "supported by the US army on the ground."

This group has become "fully in charge" of the situation in regions where they operate as those are "parts of Syria where the government has long lost control."

On that note, it is worth reminding, as did IOL, that approximately "1000 US soldiers continue to operate in Kurdish-controlled areas in the country’s oil-rich northeast." US soldiers are operating on "Syria’s southern border area" as they cooperate with "Arab rebel factions that they sponsor."