[10/24/19] WASHINGTON — President Trump announced on Wednesday that Turkey had agreed to a permanent cease-fire in northeast Syria, claiming that the United States was bringing peace to the region after decades of failed efforts.
Pushing back against criticism that he upended American policy in the Middle East by enabling a Turkish offensive against Kurdish fighters that has empowered Russia and Iran, the president insisted that his approach had defused a historically dangerous situation even as he washed his hands of it.
“Turkey, Syria and all forms of the Kurds have been fighting for centuries,” Mr. Trump said from the Diplomatic Room at the White House. “We have done them a great service and we’ve done a great job for all of them. And now, we’re getting out.”
“Let someone else fight over this long bloodstained sand,” he added.
By all but ending America’s modest troop presence in northeast Syria, Mr. Trump effectively surrendered Washington’s influence in territory that three weeks ago was essentially a United States protectorate to Russia, Iran and President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.
With threats of economic sanctions and diplomatic demands, the Trump administration has scrambled to end the fighting between Turkish forces and Kurdish fighters that ensued, and that last week sent Vice President Mike Pence to Ankara to negotiate a pause in the fighting.
Crucial to the cease-fire was the agreement struck a day earlier between Turkey and Russia to jointly police a border zone in northern Syria and rid it of Kurdish fighters. But Mr. Trump claimed full credit.
[10/17/19] After an hours-long meeting, Vice President Mike Pence announced on Thursday afternoon that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to a ceasefire in northern Syria.
The vice president said Turkey would pause its invasion for 120 hours in order to allow Kurdish allies to withdraw from the safe zone of the border region. Pence said the leaders committed to defeating ISIS and renewed an agreement to "coordinate efforts on detention facilities and internally displaced persons in formerly ISIS-controlled areas."
The U.S. agreed not to put new sanctions in place and to end the current sanctions if the ceasefire holds.
[10/16/19] WASHINGTON >> Washing his hands of Syria, President Donald Trump declared today the U.S. has no stake in defending the Kurdish fighters who died by the thousands as America’s partners against IS extremists.
Hours later, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats walked out of a meeting at the White House, accusing him of having a “meltdown,” calling her a “third-rate politician” and having no plan to deal with a potentially revived Islamic State group.
Condemnation of Trump’s stance on Turkey, Syria and the Kurds was quick and severe during the day, not only from Democrats but from Republicans who have been staunch supporters on virtually all issues.
The House, bitterly divided over the Trump impeachment inquiry, banded together for an overwhelming 354-60 denunciation of the U.S. troop withdrawal. Many lawmakers expressed worry that it may lead to revival of IS as well as Russian presence and influence in the area — in addition to the slaughter of many Kurds.
At the White House, Trump said the U.S. has no business in the region — and not to worry about the Kurdish fighters.
“They know how to fight,” he said. “And by the way, they’re no angels.”
[10/14/19] President Donald Trump on Monday said he would authorize sanctions against Turkish officials, stop negotiating with Turkey on a $100 billion trade deal, and boost tariffs on the country’s steel to 50 percent over Ankara’s incursion into northeast Syria.
Turkey launched the cross-border assault on Kurdish YPG militia on Wednesday after Trump withdrew some U.S. troops from the region, drawing sharp criticism from fellow Republicans who accused him abandoning allies who fought against Islamic State.
“I am fully prepared to swiftly destroy Turkey’s economy if Turkish leaders continue down this dangerous and destructive path,” Trump said.
[10/13/19] AKCAKALE, Turkey (AP) — Syria’s Kurds said Syrian government forces agreed Sunday to help them fend off Turkey’s invasion — a major shift in alliances that came after President Donald Trump ordered all U.S. troops withdrawn from the northern border area amid the rapidly deepening chaos.
The shift could lead to clashes between Turkey and Syria and raises the specter of a resurgent Islamic State group as the U.S. relinquishes any remaining influence in northern Syria to President Bashar Assad and his chief backer, Russia.
Adding to the turmoil Sunday, hundreds of Islamic State families and supporters escaped from a holding camp in Syria amid the fighting between Turkish forces and the Kurds.
The fast-deteriorating situation was set in motion last week, when Trump ordered U.S. troops in northern Syria to step aside, clearing the way for an attack by Turkey, which regards the Kurds as terrorists. Since 2014, the Kurds have fought alongside the U.S. in defeating the Islamic State in Syria, and Trump’s move was decried at home and abroad as a betrayal of an ally.
[10/9/19] AKCAKALE, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies attacked Kurdish militia in northeast Syria on Wednesday, pounding them with air strikes and artillery before launching a cross-border ground operation that could transform an eight-year-old war.
The assault began days after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled American troops out of the way, prompting denunciations from senior members of his own Republican Party who say he abandoned the Kurds, loyal allies of Washington.
The assault on the Kurds - for years Washington’s main allies on the ground in Syria - is potentially one of the biggest shifts in years in an eight-year war that has drawn in global and regional powers. The Kurds played a leading role in capturing territory from Islamic State, and now hold the largest swathe of Syria outside of Bashar al-Assad’s government’s hands.
Trump’s decision to pull forces out of the way was denounced by some Kurds as a “stab in the back”.
Trump called the Turkish assault a “bad idea” and said he did not endorse it. He expected Turkey to protect civilians and religious minorities and prevent a humanitarian crisis, he said.
But one of Trump’s closest allies, Senator Lindsey Graham, said failing to support the Kurds would be “the biggest mistake of his presidency”.
Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican hawk, said: “The U.S. is abandoning our ally the Kurds, who fought ISIS (Islamic State) on the ground and helped protect the U.S. homeland. This decision aids America’s adversaries, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, and paves the way for a resurgence of ISIS.”
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