Two members of the Iowa National Guard were killed in Syria, reportedly “by a member of the Syrian government’s security forces.” The two servicemen were identified as 29-year-old Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and 25-year-old Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar. Why is the U.S. National Guard in Syria? The simple answer is that the U.S. presence there is illegal. Congress never declared war on Syria, never passed a Syria-specific authorization, and the Syrian government never invited U.S. forces onto its territory. The more complicated answer is that the U.S. military footprint began in 2014 under President Obama Complicated answer: The U.S. occupation of Syria began in 2014 under President Obama to prevent the Assad government from accessing the oil fields on the Eastern shore of the Euphrates. During this period, the U.S. and its allies backed al-Qaeda-linked factions such as al-Nusra, creating the absurd reality of fighting al-Qaeda in Afghanistan while empowering its offshoots in Syria. This is when the Obama PR machine came up with the word “moderates.” They were affiliated with al-Qaeda, sure, but they were “moderates.” Now that the U.S. has completed the regime change that it sought, they are still there, to quote Syrian journalist Kevork Almassian, “to facilitate the transition of Syria into a client state.” Is this America first? No. The mission never offered any benefit to the American people. And it’s worth remembering that in 2023, then-Congressman Matt Gaetz introduced a War Powers resolution requiring U.S. troops to withdraw from Syria. Congress voted it down and now two Americans are dead.I hope those deatheaters can live with themselves. The post An Illegal War Claims Two More American Lives appeared first on Redacted.