In a little-noted development, President Joe Biden reportedly sent American forces into war-ravaged Syria within hours of assuming the presidency.
To critics like Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the development is an alarming sign that hawkish foreign policy is returning to the White House.
Report: 200 troops dropped off in Syria
According to a report from Syrian state media, a large convoy of 40 trucks and armored vehicles entered northeastern Syria from Iraq on January 21 with air support.
The convoy entered Syria through the “al-Waleed crossing to bring arms and logistical equipment to the bases in Hasakeh and Deir Ezzor provinces.” While the report noted that such equipment deliveries are not uncommon, it also noted that helicopters dropped off about 200 troops to patrol Syria’s oil fields.
This comes after the Trump administration gave the order to begin pulling U.S. troops out of northern Syria in late 2019. Some troops reportedly were still in Syria by the time Biden took over the White House.
Carlson, a fervent critic of America’s endless foreign wars, mentioned the development on his Fox News show Monday night. He noted a disturbing parallel with the ongoing, menacing buildup of National Guards troops in Washington, D.C., which continues without any clear purpose.
“Joe Biden just sent American troops to Syria. What, you didn’t know that? Yes, hours after he became president, American soldiers crossed into the nation of Syria. Sending them to Syria was one of the first things Joe Biden did. Somehow most of the media forget to even mention that.”
Critics warn of hawkish turn
While Biden’s approach to Syria is not yet certain, critics including Carlson and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) have expressed concern that his administration will return to hawkish, interventionist foreign policy in the Middle East that could prove very costly.
Biden voted for the Iraq War as a senator and was vice president when Syria spiraled into crisis, a disaster that critics group with the Obama administration’s ill-considered intervention in Libya.
Regime change efforts in Syria have failed, with Bashar al-Assad remaining in control of the country despite a decade of civil war. Syria’s UN ambassador has called on Biden to withdraw all American troops from Syria and cease “acts of aggression and occupation” and “plunder.”
“Another pointless foreign war”
In another development, Carlson pointed out Biden secretary of state Antony Blinken’s claim that Iran is only “weeks” from developing a nuclear bomb. “You already know how that story’s going to end,” Carlson said. “Another pointless foreign war. Trillions spent, many dead, the United States gaining nothing.” Watch Carlson below: