Tennessee Senator Bob Corker has returned to the Turkey/Syria border, to meet with members of Syria’s opposition. He’s the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and it’s his second trip to the region in nearly a year.
Sen. Bob Corker meets Syrian children at a refugee camp in the Turkish city of Kilis. Seven miles from the Syrian border, the UN estimates more than 45,000 refugees live there. Image: Sen. Bob Corker/Twitter
Many Syrians have escaped fighting in their country, by fleeing to Turkey. Tweeting from a refugee camp in the town of Kilis, Corker says Syrians are frustrated that the US isn’t doing more to help bring down the government of President Bashar Al-Assad.
The Obama Administration has agreed to provide military assistance to moderate factions. But Corker says those groups want the US to “tip the balance” of the civil war in their favor.
Pentagon officials say they’re still working to understand the various groups and their motivations. Corker has criticized the White House, saying too many of its discussions about what to do are taking place behind closed doors.
The Senator’s own views on Syria have evolved since last September, when he traveled to Turkey to meet with opposition activists and military leaders.
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