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U.S. Seeks Arab Force and Funding for Syria
(Wall Street Journal) Michael R. Gordon - The Trump administration is seeking to assemble an Arab force to replace the U.S. military contingent in Syria and help stabilize the northeastern part of the country after the defeat of Islamic State, U.S. officials said. John Bolton, President Donald Trump's new national security adviser, recently called Abbas Kamel, Egypt's acting intelligence chief, to see if Cairo would contribute to the effort. The administration has asked Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to contribute billions of dollars to help restore northern Syria. It wants Arab nations to send troops as well. The new initiative is aimed at avoiding a security vacuum in Syria that would allow Islamic State to return or ceding hard-won gains to Iranian-backed forces.