Syria panel rushes to offer Trump options before clock runs out

A bipartisan panel tasked with offering the Donald Trump administration a path forward in Syria is already behind schedule as it prepares for its initial meeting Thursday.

The Syria Study Group is charged with bringing clarity to the state of play in the war-torn country as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies inch toward final victory in the 8-year-old war while the Pentagon scurries to convince allies to keep boots on the ground. The group was created after Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., tucked a provision authorizing the panel into a must-pass aviation bill in October.

But unlike the Iraq Study Group, which took six months to present the White House with 60 recommendations to fix a flailing US strategy in 2006, the new group owes Congress a final report in April.

Even as the US administration’s confused troop withdrawal has prompted questions about destroying the remnants of the Islamic State and potential risks to US service members, political headwinds have forced delays. The government-backed US Institute of Peace, which is facilitating the Syria Study Group, cut back operations during the 35-day federal shutdown. It’s not clear whether Congress will grant the group a grace period to wrap up its work.