Republican senators break with Trump on Afghanistan, Syria withdrawal

WASHINGTON - 5 February 2019: The Republican-controlled US Senate voted to oppose the withdrawal of US troops from Syria and Afghanistan, breaking with US President Donald Trump as he calls for a military drawdawn in both countries, CBS reported.

Senators voted 70-26 for the amendment sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The measure says Daesh and al-Qaeda militants still pose a serious threat to the United States, and it warns that "a precipitous withdrawal" of US forces from those countries could "allow terrorists to regroup, destabilize critical regions and create vacuums that could be filled by Iran or Russia."