روما بت
ماه بت
پین باهیس
بهترین سایت شرط بندی
بت کارت
یاس بت
یک بت
مگاپاری
اونجا بت
alvinbet.org
بت برو
بت فا
بت فوروارد
وان ایکس بت
1win giriş
بت وینر
بهترین سایت شرط بندی ایرانی
1xbet giriş
وان کیک بت
وین بت
ریتزو بت
1xbet-ir.com.co/
https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/paperiounblocked2?lang=EN https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/agariounblockedschool1?lang=EN https://yohoho-io.app/ https://2.yohoho-io.net/paper.io unblocked https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/yohoho-unblocked-76?lang=EN https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/agariounblockedpvp https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/yohoho?lang=EN
HomeNewsLindsey Graham Warns U.S. Withdrawal from Syria Would Be “Terrible” During Surprise...

Lindsey Graham Warns U.S. Withdrawal from Syria Would Be “Terrible” During Surprise Visit to Manbij

Published on

MANBIJ, SYRIA – After meeting with Turkish leadership over the weekend, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) made a “surprise visit” on Monday to Manbij, where they met with members of Manbij Military Council (MMC), a Kurdish militia that operates as part of the umbrella group, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

After visiting a city market and speaking with militia members, Graham told MMC officials that “I will tell President Trump that it’s important we stay here to help you. You are friends of the United States and if we leave it will be terrible.” Graham has long been known for his hawkish stance on Syria, having criticized the U.S. strikes on three alleged Syrian chemical-weapons sites this past April for not going far enough, calling the strikes a “missed opportunity.”

The senators’ visit was warmly accepted by MMC members, who saw their appearance as proof that U.S. support to the group would continue despite the recent U.S.-Turkey agreement that would see Turkey jointly administer Manbij with the U.S. — an agreement that the MMC has refused to accept. Despite the MMC’s high hopes, Turkish media has reported that Kurdish militia groups will begin leaving Manbij as soon as Wednesday as the U.S.-Turkish plan to jointly administer the area is set to come into full effect later this week.

Other observers of the senators’ visit, however, took it as a sign that U.S. military involvement in Syria will not only continue but increase, despite rumors that Trump is planning to use withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria as a bargaining chip with Russian leadership at a U.S.-Russia summit scheduled for later this month in Finland.

Meanwhile, Syrian state media reported that the U.S. was planning to increase the deployment of its troops in and around Manbij after Graham’s visit. As MintPress has previously reported, Manbij is home to two U.S. bases that host American and British forces, as well as a French military base. The Western military presence has only increased in recent months, particularly after the Turkish government threatened to overtake Manbij after its successful offensive that removed SDF Kurdish militias from the city of Afrin earlier this year.

Watch | Lindsey Graham tells Kurds in Manbij: “it’s important we stay here to help you” 

 

Graham walking a new fine line

However, Graham’s statements during his visit to Manbij are unusual given that the senator has not always backed U.S. support for Syrian Kurds. Indeed, last year, Graham strongly criticized the U.S. alliance with Kurdish groups connected to the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), both of which are considered terrorist groups by the Turkish government but also form the backbone of the U.S.-allied SDF.

For instance, last May, Graham criticized  the Trump administration’s decision to provide heavy weapons to Kurdish groups, asserting that “cooperation with the YPG harms relations with Turkey.” He also questioned whether it would be better for the U.S. to train more Arab fighters in lieu of Kurdish fighters in order to assuage Turkish concerns of U.S. support for the YPG.

Given that Graham described his recent weekend meeting with Turkish President Erdogan as “very good, respectful, and candid” and asserted that the U.S. needs Turkey as a “strategic partner,” it remains to be seen how Graham plans to walk the fine line between his recently voiced support for Kurdish fighters and his desire to maintain a strong relationship with Turkey.

Top Photo | Senator Lindsey Graham visits U.S.-trained and funded Kurdish SDF militia members in Manjib, Syria.  YouTube | Screenshot

Whitney Webb is a staff writer for MintPress News and a contributor to Ben Swann’s Truth in Media. Her work has appeared on Global Research, the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire, among others. She has also made radio and TV appearances on RT and Sputnik. She currently lives with her family in southern Chile.

The post Lindsey Graham Warns U.S. Withdrawal from Syria Would Be “Terrible” During Surprise Visit to Manbij appeared first on MintPress News.

Latest articles

Negotiations between Iran and the United States are progressing in Oman; a nuclear Tlatelolco Treaty for the Middle East?, by Alfredo Jalife-Rahme

While Sun Tzu was storming Wall Street [1], on a very special Thursday for the stock market, the United States and Russia were negotiating constructively in Istanbul [2], and the next day, Steve Witkoff (SW), Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East and Russia, held a successful four and a half hour meeting with President Putin and…

Voltaire, International Newsletter N°129

Voltaire Network | 18 April 2025 Our director of publication and editor-in-chief directed French magazines several years ago, and has won journalism awards abroad. He has regularly contributed to some fifteen major dailies and magazines around the world. Voltaire, International Newsletter is available by subscription for €500 a year, is published 42 times a year…

Cascade of petitions from Israeli soldiers and top brass against the war in Gaza

In the space of a week, a cascade of petitions from the military has suddenly demonstrated the realization by Israeli society that the Netanyahu government’s strategy in Gaza would neither bring back the hostages nor defeat Hamas. The Israelis are beginning to become aware of the horrors experienced by the Palestinians, but they are currently…

Then and now: Over 60 years of revolutionary solidarity from Vietnam to Palestine

Workers World Party salutes the 50th anniversary of the stunning victory of the long struggle in Vietnam for national liberation and an end to imperialist occupation. On April 30, 1975, the last U.S. collaborators, contractors and advisers fled Saigon, literally hanging onto the skids of U.S. evacuation helicopters as the victorious National Liberation Front forces…

More like this

Negotiations between Iran and the United States are progressing in Oman; a nuclear Tlatelolco Treaty for the Middle East?, by Alfredo Jalife-Rahme

While Sun Tzu was storming Wall Street [1], on a very special Thursday for the stock market, the United States and Russia were negotiating constructively in Istanbul [2], and the next day, Steve Witkoff (SW), Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East and Russia, held a successful four and a half hour meeting with President Putin and…

Voltaire, International Newsletter N°129

Voltaire Network | 18 April 2025 Our director of publication and editor-in-chief directed French magazines several years ago, and has won journalism awards abroad. He has regularly contributed to some fifteen major dailies and magazines around the world. Voltaire, International Newsletter is available by subscription for €500 a year, is published 42 times a year…

Cascade of petitions from Israeli soldiers and top brass against the war in Gaza

In the space of a week, a cascade of petitions from the military has suddenly demonstrated the realization by Israeli society that the Netanyahu government’s strategy in Gaza would neither bring back the hostages nor defeat Hamas. The Israelis are beginning to become aware of the horrors experienced by the Palestinians, but they are currently…