US seeks European presence in northeast Syria

US Senator Lindsey Graham said Friday that President Donald Trump would ask European countries to send troops to establish a buffer zone in northeast Syria along Turkey’s southern border. 

Graham's remarks came at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. 

Emphasizing the plan as a post-caliphate strategy, he said US authorities discussed the issue in detail with Trump, who left the door open for leaving a certain number of American soldiers in the war-ravaged country. 

“I’m hoping that President Trump will be coming to some of you and asking for your help and you’ll say ‘yes’, and in return, the capability we have that’s unique to the US will still be in the fight in Syria,” he said in remarks to the conference. 

Graham pointed out that Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would discuss with his counterparts about sending troops to Syria. 

Stating that Europe suffered from the ISIS threat, Graham said the post-ISIS strategy should be different than the fight against the extremist group.