US missile strike against Syria being questioned by some Iraq war veterans

President Trump's decision to bomb a Syrian airfield with 59 missiles Thursday night is being questioned by some U.S. veterans who had previously been deployed to the Middle East.

One criticism revolves around a seeming lack of a clear end goal; for example, Evan McAllister, a Marine scout and sniper who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, told the website LifeZette, "The foreign policy I was ultimately hoping for is one that abides by the belief that nation building, mission creep, and counterinsurgency without a clear end-state are horrible courses of action...our military simply doesn't exist for that purpose."

Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Seth Moulton, also an Iraq War veteran, said on CNN Friday, "We don't really know what we're fighting for in Syria. And, fundamentally, that's just not fair to our troops."

RELATED: See images from the strike launch

He echoed this thought in a joint statement made with fellow veteran, Republican Representative Steve Russell, which read, in part, "We cannot stand by in silence as dictators murder children with chemical weapons. But military action without clear goals and objectives gets us nowhere."

Another Iraq War veteran, Michael Patterson of Alaska, is, in fact, planning to protest over Trump's action, telling KTVA, "The United States government escalating the conflict in Syria is not helping the Syrian people. I mean this is the same administration that I believe twice now has tried to ban Syrian refugees from coming into the United States."

However, other veterans like Senator John McCain have voiced their support for Trump's action in Syria, notes TIME.

The bombing was in response to a chemical attack on Tuesday which is said to have killed dozens of people including more than 20 children.

President Trump has since applauded the U.S. service people involved in the mission, tweeting Saturday, "Congratulations to our great military men and women for representing the United States, and the world, so well in the Syria attack."