Three US Congress members have made a brief visit to opposition-held northwest Syria in the first known trip to the war-torn country by American lawmakers in six years.
FILE - Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., nominates Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for the eleventh time in the House chamber as the House meets for the third day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Three U.S. Congress members, including Hill, made a brief visit to opposition-held northwest Syria on Sunday, Aug. 27, the first known trip to the war-torn country by American lawmakers in six years.
Crossing into opposition-held Syria on what would be a roughly one-hour trip, the lawmakers were presented with flowers from students from Wisdom House. The facility is a school for orphans that is a project of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a U.S.-based Syrian opposition organization that facilitated the lawmakers’ trip.
The lawmakers also met with opposition and humanitarian leaders, including Raed Saleh, head of the Syrian opposition's White Helmets emergency rescue group. The organization of volunteer first responders became known internationally for extracting civilians from buildings bombed by allied Russian forces fighting on behalf Syrian President Bashar Assad.in the first 10 years of conflict between Assad-allied forces and Syria's opposition.
The last known trip by a U.S. lawmaker to Syria was in 2017, when Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., visited U.S. forces stationed in northeast Syria’s Kurdish region.Also in 2017, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, visited Damascus, the capital, and met with Assad, a decision that was widely criticized at the time.
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US Congress members make a rare visit to opposition-held northwest SyriaThree US Congress members have made a brief visit to opposition-held northwest Syria in the first known trip to the war-torn country by American lawmakers in six years
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US Congress members make a rare visit to opposition-held northwest SyriaThree US Congress members have made a brief visit to opposition-held northwest Syria in the first known trip to the war-torn country by American lawmakers in six years
Read more »
US Congress members make a rare visit to opposition-held northwest SyriaThree US Congress members have made a brief visit to opposition-held northwest Syria in the first known trip to the war-torn country by American lawmakers in six years
Read more »
Members of US Congress make a rare visit to opposition-held northwest SyriaThree US Congress members have made a brief visit to opposition-held northwest Syria in the first known trip to the war-torn country by American lawmakers in six years
Read more »
Members of US Congress make a rare visit to opposition-held northwest SyriaThree US Congress members have made a brief visit to opposition-held northwest Syria in the first known trip to the war-torn country by American lawmakers in six years
Read more »
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