US Defense Secretary James Mattis disagrees with President Donald Trump’s decision to immediately withdraw all US military forces from Syria, Senator Lindsey Graham said during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
“He [Mattis] thought that the time was not right to leave,” Graham said. “He told me without any hesitation that [Daesh] has been hurt badly, that the change in strategy to be more aggressive has paid off. But they are not defeated, and that a replay of Iraq is very likely.”
Graham said he also talked to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who he said understands that the conditions on the ground in Syria are not right for the United States to withdraw its troops.