Romney: Abandoning Kurds 'a bloodstain' on US

Published October 17, 2019 3:41pm PDT

Associated Press

Romney: This is being portrayed as a victory. It’s not.

Romney: This is being portrayed as a victory. It's not.

ANKARA, Turkey — Republican Sen. Mitt Romney says President Donald Trump's decision to abandon Kurdish allies in Syria "will stand as a bloodstain in the annals of American history."

The Utah senator took to the Senate floor Thursday to criticize Trump anew over his withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria.

That pullback resulted in Turkey's invasion of the area so it could attack Syrian Kurds, a pivotal U.S. ally against Islamic State fighters.

Romney says removing U.S. troops who protected the Kurds "violates one of our most sacred duties. It strikes at American honor."

Romney says he hopes a five-day cease-fire announced Thursday works. But he says a deal with Turkey should have been struck before the U.S. pulled its troops out, not afterward.