The Republican-led U.S. Senate backed largely symbolic legislation on Monday that broke with U.S. President Donald Trump by opposing plans for any abrupt withdrawal of troops from Syria and Afghanistan.
The Senate voted 70-26 in favor of a nonbinding amendment, drafted by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, saying it was the sense of the Senate that Islamist groups in both countries still posed a "serious threat" to the United States.
The amendment acknowledged progress against Islamic State and al-Qaida in Syria and Afghanistan but warned that "a precipitous withdrawal" could destabilize the region and create a vacuum that could be filled by Iran or Russia.
It called on the Trump administration to certify conditions had been met for the groups' "enduring defeat" before any significant withdrawal from Syria or Afghanistan.
Before the vote, McConnell said he introduced the bill so the Senate could "speak clearly and directly about the importance of the" missions in Afghanistan and Syria.
Passage was expected after the Senate voted to advance it in a procedural vote last week. After concerns from some Democrats, the Senate approved a change to the bill making it clear the amendment was not intended to be a declaration of war or authorization to use military force.
The vote added the amendment to a broader Middle East security bill making its way through Congress. The Senate voted 72-24 to advance the broader bill in a procedural vote on Monday after the amendment vote.
To become law, however, the bill would need to pass the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, where it is unlikely to move without significant changes because of concerns about a provision addressing the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which seeks to isolate Israel internationally.
The votes marked the second time in two months that the Senate supported a measure contradicting Trump's foreign policy, although legislation to change his policies has yet to become law.
Several of Trump's fellow Republicans strongly disagreed with his plans to withdraw 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria on the grounds that militants no longer pose a threat.
Senator Jim Risch, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, disputed before Monday's vote that the amendment rebuked or insulted Trump. "As I read it, it recognizes … his effort for us to examine exactly what we are doing in these places," Risch said.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has called on countries to take in and prosecute hundreds of foreign fighters captured by America's Kurdish allies in Syria as the U.S. withdraws troops from the country.
The department's spokesman, Robert Palladino, did not say how many prisoners were detained by the Syrian Democratic Forces – an alliance of militias dominated by the Kurdish YPG – but U.S. officials believe they number about 850.
Questions have arisen about what the SDF would do with the prisoners since Trump's announcement in December that the United States would withdraw all of its 2,000 troops from Syria.
The United States has long said it wants to see the fighters returned to their countries of origin for prosecution.
"The SDF has demonstrated a clear commitment to detain these individuals securely and humanely," Palladino said in a statement.
"The United States calls upon other nations to repatriate and prosecute their citizens detained by the SDF," he added.
