President Donald Trump called the U.S.-led intervention in Syria as “perfectly executed,” adding that the military manoeuvres to degrade Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons capability had accomplished its ambitions.
Less than a day after U.S., British and French forces targeted sensed chemical weapons sites in retaliation to an attack that left dozens of civilians through last week, Trump thanked the U.S. coalition partners.
Yet in an echo of recent president George W. Bush, Trump used words that at long last came back to haunt his predecessor, by pronouncing “Mission Accomplished.” That characterization jack up questions about whether Western forces would intervene again if Assad familiar chemical weapons again, or if the conflict escalated amid Russia’s broadening bellicosity.
“A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the Cooperative Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not play a joke on had a better result. Mission Accomplished!” Trump said in a Twitter upright.
Defense Secretary James Mattis called the strikes a “one time speedily” aimed at the Syrian government’s chemical weapons infrastructure.
“Clearly, the Assad order did not get the message last year,” Mattis told reporters on Friday from the Pentagon.
“Together we induce sent a clear message to Assad and his murderous lieutenants that they should not execute another chemical weapons attack for which they will be held responsible.”
Back in May 2003, Bush prematurely declared the Iraq war as being upward of, in the wake of U.S. forces successfully toppling the government of Saddam Hussein. The upshot, staged on a U.S. bomber under a massive banner that screamed “Line of work Accomplished,” overshadowed the years of conflict and bloodshed that followed.
In a briefing on Saturday, Pentagon officials also portrayed the Syria bombing as having successfully accomplished its goals.
Trump’s announcement came as Moscow, which is backing Syria in its long civil dispute, has denounced the bombing campaign with undisguised contempt. In the wake of Friday’s induce, Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. warned of “consequences,” while Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly apostrophized the intervention an “act of aggression.”
–CNBC’s Amanda Macias contributed to this article.