Move FM Global News

WASHINGTON, U.S. – One of the most vocal defense hawks in Congress, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, became one of the U.S. President Donald Trump’s loudest critics earlier this month.

Following Trump’s shocking decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, where they are engaged in a fight to topple the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), the U.S. President drew strong criticism from major allies and even senior Republicans.

At the time that Trump announced his decision to pullout troops, Senator Graham, who has been one of his most loud supporters, called the President’s decision a “huge Obama-like mistake.”

However, on Sunday, Senator Graham met with the U.S. President and later hinted that Trump is “re-evaluating” his controversial plan to withdraw all U.S. troops in Syria.

The Republican senator, who is the likely incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee told reporters outside the White House that he was feeling “a lot better about where we’re headed in Syria” after his lunch with the president.

Referring to Trump’s visit with troops on Wednesday, Senator Graham said, “I think the president’s trip to Iraq was eye-opening. The commanders there told him that ISIS was in a world of hurt ― not completely destroyed, but well on their way.”

He added, “I think operations to completely destroy and decimate ISIS are going to be ongoing and are going to be accelerated.”

The Senator, who has repeatedly denied Trump’s broad claims that ISIS has been defeated in Syria said, “The president assured me he’s going to get the job done. He promised to destroy ISIS. He’s going to keep that promise. I think we’re slowing things down in a smart way.”

The South Carolina Senator added, “I share his goal to withdraw our forces from Syria ― I just want to do it in a smart way, make sure that Iran’s not the big winner. … It’s going to take a little longer than everybody thought but hopefully we can get there.”

He added, “I think we’re in a pause situation where we’re re-evaluating what’s the best way to achieve the president’s objective of having people pay more and do more. … We’ll see what happens here in the next few weeks, but I feel better about Syria than I felt before I had lunch.”

Despite Trump’s announcement made on December 19, that he would pullout all the U.S. ground troops, that first became involved in Syria in autumn 2015, neither the president, nor the White House have commented on any formal plan changes.

In 2015, the then-President Barack Obama deployed a small number of special forces to Syria, to train and advise local Kurdish fighters who were fighting ISIS.

The numbers of U.S. troops in Syria has increased over the years and there are currently about 2,000 troops in the country, who have helped rid much of Syria’s north-east of the jihadist group.

However, pockets of fighters still remain and critics are furious at Trump’s decision, which they claim might help in the resurgence of the terror group.