The US Senate has contradicted Trump on the withdrawal of Syrian and Afghan troops

The US Senate on Monday approved by a large majority a critical amendment to President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria and Afghanistana signal of the deep malaise caused by this strategy among its own Republican ranks.

According to the text, the Senate believes, unlike the President, that "The United States is currently threatened by terrorist groups operating in Syria and Afghanistan and a precipitous withdrawal from the United States could jeopardize progress made with great difficulty, as well as national security"

L & # 39; amendment that will be incorporated into a Middle East security law, was approved with 70 votes in favor and 26 against. Only three of the 53 senators who make up the Republican majority in the upper house opposed it.

He was the Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, who does not generally criticize Trump in public, who introduced the amendment last week, alleging that jihadist groups "the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda have not yet been defeated".

The US president was surprised to announce in December the withdrawal of 2,000 US troops in Syria, stating that the ISF fighters had been defeated.

Trump did not hide his intention to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible after 17 years of conflict. In December, he said he wanted to withdraw half of the 14,000 American soldiers deployed in this country.

Trump's decision on Syria led to the resignation of his secretary of defense, Jim Mattis, and intrigued the European and Kurdish allies of the United States.

The McConnell amendment completes a bill on security in the Middle East which raises new sanctions against Syria and plans to protect US local authorities who decide not to work with companies that boycott Israel.

This bill was approved by a large majority at a first vote Monday in the Senate. Tuesday afternoon, it must be ratified again in the Upper House, before to be examined by the House of Representatives, Democratic majority.

(With information from AFP)