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That was welcome news to Jeffrey during the hearing -- who said after Trump's announcement, that his testimony was \"even more congruent now\" with Trump's policy. But it also contrasted with Trump's own claim that the U.S. is \"getting out. ... Let someone else fight over this long-bloodstained sand.\"

Pres. Trump on withdrawing troops from Syria: \"Let someone else fight over this long bloodstained sand.\" https://t.co/gIjrUk6LJt pic.twitter.com/ZoZ5W2xWCE

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 23, 2019

Throughout his remarks, Jeffrey, who served as U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Turkey and deputy national security adviser, made clear how the departure of U.S. forces in northeast Syria would damage the efforts to defeat ISIS and prevent the group's resurgence.

\"We obviously had troops there for a mission. The mission was defeating ISIS. So if you remove those troops before that mission is complete, then you have a problem. And we do have a problem right now,\" Jeffrey said. \"We're working our way through it. We're looking at various options of how we will maintain a relationship with the SDF.\"

In addition to a residual force, the administration is also considering how to maintain control of the air space above northeast Syria to continue airstrikes on ISIS targets.

\"PHOTO:
Sergei Chirikov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a joint press conference following their talks in the Black sea resort of Sochi on Oct. 22, 2019.
>

But that was the plan just months ago. After initially announcing a full withdrawal of 2,000 American troops in December 2018, Trump was convinced to keep 1,000 in northeast Syria -- until his sudden reversal again this month to pull all out, followed by this new residual force. The recent whiplash even caught key U.S. allies like the United Kingdom, France and Israel by surprise, which Jeffrey said was a mistake -- calling it poor \"basic diplomatic hygiene.\"

Jeffrey blamed Turkey, however, for creating this \"tragedy\" with its \"terribly bad and very, very dangerous decision\" to cross the border, one he said the U.S. could not have stopped because it decided it would not use military force to do so.

\"The Turks would've simply driven around\" the two dozen or so U.S. forces in the immediate area, he said, adding later, \"In looking at thousands of pieces of information and intelligence, I've seen no indication that [their presence] was a factor in the Turkish decision to come across.\"

\"PHOTO:
Lefteris Pitarakis/AP
PHOTO: TV journalists gather around a map showing Turkey's operation in Syria, as they work on a hilltop in Ceylanpinar, near the Syrian border, hours before a five-day cease-fire is set to expire, Oct. 22, 2019.
>

Jeffrey condemned the incursion, saying Turkish forces and their Syrian opposition allies are responsible for \"several incidents which we consider war crimes,\" although he said there hasn't been \"any widespread ethnic cleansing in that area.\"

But Trump announced he has lifted the sanctions on three Turkish ministers and two Turkish ministries, meaning Erdogan has avoided any U.S. penalties for his operation and, with the ceasefire deal, secured the land he took.

That has sparked even greater bipartisan outrage on Capitol Hill, with vows to penalize Turkey where the administration has not.

\"Given President Trump's failure to provide U.S. leadership, it is now up to Congress to press Turkey to reverse its terrible policy. We must hold President Erdogan accountable for his horrific crimes against the Kurds,\" said Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

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