© Greg Nash
Senate Democrats emerged from a closed-door briefing Wednesday saying they need more details about the administration's strategy to counter ISIS in the wake of the U.S. pullback in northern Syria.
Senators were briefed about the raid that led to the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, and broader Syria strategy.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer
Charles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerSenate Democrat: Colleague was working on fantasy football trade instead of listening to Schumer Senate Democrats to vote this week to overturn Trump ObamaCare moves Man explains refusing to shake McConnell's hand at Cummings memorial: 'I couldn't do it' MORE (D-N.Y.) called the military mission "incredible" but that "it is clear ISIS continues."
"They are not vanquished, they are not over. ... I believe that the administration has to do more to make sure the existing ISIS prisoners are guarded, to track down those who have escaped, and to have a far more concrete plan on how we deal with ISIS in the future," Schumer told reporters.
Schumer's concerns were echoed by several Democrats who attended the briefing, which marked the first all-members meeting the Senate has had since the White House announced they were pulling back troops from northern Syria.
"I am more concerned than ever, deeply alarmed, about the threat of ISIS," Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told reporters.
He added that al-Baghdadi's death has helped weaken ISIS, but "the resurgence of ISIS is more alarming than ever."
Sen. Dick Durbin
Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinOvernight Defense: House approves Turkey sanctions in rebuke of Trump | Trump attacks on Army officer testifying spark backlash | Dems want answers from Esper over Ukraine aid Democrats want answers from Pentagon chief on withheld Ukraine aid Senate Democrats urge Trump not to back down from vaping flavor ban MORE (Ill.), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, added that countering ISIS "still is our stated objective" within Syria, "but the means of achieving it are not as clear as they were before the president's phone call with Erdoğan."
Trump withdrew troops from northern Syria after speaking with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The decision led to an incursion by Turkish forces into northern Syria, where they fired upon Kurdish forces that had previously been allies of the U.S.