President Joe Biden would be wise to avoid another Afghanistan situation by pulling all American forces out of Syria before ISIS has been vanquished.
On Wednesday, Charles Lister, senior fellow and director of the Middle East Institute’s Syria Program, published an article warning that the United States military was making secret preparations to evacuate the 900 troops stationed in Syria. He claimed that “In eastern and central Syria, ISIS’s shadow influence has returned” and that it is “increasingly recognized as a shadow authority.”
Today, an administration official told CNN that “The Biden administration is not considering a withdrawal of forces from Syria.” Lister gave a defiant response to this and other denials of his claim on X, saying, “The admin can deny all they want, but it’s 100% accurate.”
Much of Lister’s information comes from a trip he took to visit several allied locations in Syria last year to assess the situation against ISIS. He came away certain that the once-formidable terrorist organization was again on the rise and required more pressing attention.
“After seeing the whole scope of the problem, one thing is clear: the U.S. military presence in NE Syria remains critically important,” he wrote. “Without it, we’ll be repeating our 2011 Iraq withdrawal all over again. That saw ISIS surge across borders like never before.”
The rumors of an American evacuation of Syria were revived when Al-Monitor was told by its sources in the region on Monday that the Department of Defense held a meeting with several United States agencies last Thursday to discuss a plan to pull our forces out early: throw the Syrian Kurds we have been training together with the Syrian regime to take on a rising ISIS without us when we are needed most.
Sound familiar? That is precisely what happened in late August of 2020, when Biden sloppily and hastily evacuated Afghanistan in an effort to make the history books as the man who finally brought the boys home after 20 years. The result? The Afghani people who depended on us were left alone and in confusion, the Taliban terrorist organization effortlessly took over the country, American citizens were left behind, and they have suffered ever since.
Recent developments in the Middle East also support retaining our presence in Syria. American and Iraqi officials are preparing to discuss what are likely to be plans for the United States to perform a pull-out of that region as well in the coming days.
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Meanwhile, the Israeli minister of economy, Nir Barkat, made it clear today that Iran is now considered a “legitimate target” for Israeli attacks. We need a stronger presence in the Middle East now more than ever, so removing experienced forces is the last thing we should do.
With solid evidence that ISIS is back on the rise, it is imperative that we stay and crush it rather than letting it hinder our Middle Eastern efforts later. Biden had better not repeat Afghanistan if he does not want his image in the history books to look any more incompetent. If not for his hopes of reelection this year, then for the safety of the thousands of our local allies and the innocents living in Syria.
Parker Miller is a 2024 Washington Examiner winter fellow.