President Donald Trump has ordered a slowdown to the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Syria, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re in a pause situation,\u201d the South Carolina Republican said outside the White House after lunch with the president.<\/span><\/p>\n Trump announced earlier this month that he was ordering the withdrawal of all the roughly 2,000 troops from war-torn Syria, with aides expecting it to take place swiftly. The president had declared victory over the Islamic State group in Syria, though pockets of fighting remain.<\/span><\/p>\n Graham had been an outspoken critic of Trump\u2019s decision, which had drawn bipartisan criticism. The announcement also had shocked lawmakers and American allies, including Kurds who have fought alongside the U.S. against the Islamic State group and face an expected assault by Turkey.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re slowing things down in a smart way,\u201d Graham said, adding that Trump was very aware of the plight of the Kurds.<\/span><\/p>\n Critics had contended that the U.S. withdrawal would embolden Iran and Russia, which have supported the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.<\/span><\/p>\n National security adviser John Bolton was expected to travel to Israel and Turkey next weekend to discuss the president\u2019s plans with the American allies.<\/span><\/p>\n During his appearance on CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union,\u201d Graham previewed his arguments to Trump for reconsidering the Syria pullout.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to ask him to sit down with his generals and reconsider how to do this. Slow this down. Make sure that we get it right. Make sure ISIS never comes back. Don\u2019t turn Syria over to the Iranians. That\u2019s a nightmare for Israel,\u201d Graham said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd, at the end of the day, if we leave the Kurds and abandon them and they get slaughtered, who\u2019s going to help you in the future?\u201d he said. \u201cI want to fight the war in the enemy\u2019s backyard, not ours. That\u2019s why we need a forward-deployed force in Iraq and Syria and Afghanistan for a while to come.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n