By Sabrina Siddiqui, Joshua Jamerson and Ken Thomas

 

Joe Biden opened a fresh line of attack against his leading Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday, warning that her support for withdrawing U.S. troops from the Middle East would culminate in "disaster."

Speaking to reporters in Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Biden seized on Ms. Warren's suggestion in Tuesday night's presidential debate that the U.S. should not have troops in the Middle East.

"I have never heard anyone say, with any serious background in foreign policy, that we pull all troops out of the Middle East," Mr. Biden said. "I'm not sure exactly what she meant by it."

"If she meant pulling our fleet out of the eastern Mediterranean or the Persian Gulf, I think it would be an absolute disaster for American security and American foreign policy," he added.

Ms. Warren, who drew fire from all sides of the debate stage in Westerville, Ohio, expressed skepticism over U.S. involvement in the Middle East when the discussion turned to President Trump's Oct. 6 decision to withdraw roughly 1,000 U.S. troops from northeastern Syria.

"I don't think we should have troops in the Middle East," Ms. Warren said, adding that "we have to do it the right way, the smart way."

She was nonetheless critical of Mr. Trump's move to pull out of Syria, which prompted a new crisis at the war-torn country's northeastern border. Turkey launched a military assault against Kurdish forces, who were U.S. allies in the fight against Islamic State militants, in the wake of Mr. Trump's decision.

The Warren campaign has sought to clarify her remarks about troops in the Middle East.

"Elizabeth was referencing combat troops, not those stationed in the Middle East in non-combat roles. She believes we need to end the endless wars," a spokesman said in a statement Wednesday. "That means working to responsibly remove U.S. troops from combat in the Middle East, and using diplomacy to work with allies and partners to end conflicts and suffering in the region."

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 16, 2019 16:25 ET (20:25 GMT)

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