US Congress rejects Syria troop pullout

(RT) ⸻ The Syria War Powers Resolution failed to pass in a 103-321 vote on Wednesday, facing stiff bipartisan opposition. Introduced by Florida Republican Matt Gaetz last month, the legislation would have directed President Joe Biden to remove the 900 US troops still deployed to the Middle Eastern nation within a period of six months. Gaetz slammed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for voting to prolong America's "forever wars" and argued that Congress never authorized military action in Syria to begin with. He vowed to fight to end forever wars and bring our troops home. Opponents of the War Powers Resolution voiced fears that a US pullout could lead to the revival of terrorist groups in the region. Democrat Gregory Meeks argued that while he does not support an "indefinite" deployment, a withdrawal would be "premature." Republican Matt Gaetz argued that a resurgence of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in Syria was "unlikely" and that the American presence has served as a "recruiting tool" for the terrorist cell. President Barack Obama's policy to arm rebel groups seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad has been cited as legal justification for more than 40 US military operations in at least 19 countries since 2001.