US Troops Ordered Out of Syria, Leaves Kurds to Fight Alone
US troops ordered out of Syria in advance of the expected Turkish invasion has everyone in turmoil this morning. (Military Times) After a phone call with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan over the weekend, President Trump ordered all US troops that had been fighting alongside Kurdish YPG forces to leave. Reports say that they began pulling out Monday morning, and almost no one is happy about the pullout.
….including capturing thousands of ISIS fighters, mostly from Europe. But Europe did not want them back, they said you keep them USA! I said “NO, we did you a great favor and now you want us to hold them in U.S. prisons at tremendous cost. They are yours for trials.” They…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2019
….almost 3 years, but it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN. Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2019
…figure the situation out, and what they want to do with the captured ISIS fighters in their “neighborhood.” They all hate ISIS, have been enemies for years. We are 7000 miles away and will crush ISIS again if they come anywhere near us!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2019
Trump has indeed been wanting removal of US troops from the region for 3 years. US troops ordered out of the region is part of the reason James Mattis resigned – the leaving of US allies to fight on their own after five years of alliance was viewed as a betrayal of trust. (Stripes)
The Kurds are upset over the removal and accused the United States of abandoning them in violation of agreements. Even Republicans condemned the move as “impulsive” and foolish. Military leaders said, “no one will ever partner with us again.”
The SDF tweeted,
Based on our confidence in the #US efforts in the Security Mechanism agreement, we implemented all our commitments to remove military fortifications between Tal Abyad & SereKaniye, withdraw combat forces with heavy weapons, risking a security vacum as a result of the agreement.
— Coordination & Military Ops Center – SDF (@cmoc_sdf) October 7, 2019
Senator Lindsey Graham also expressed his dismay:
I don’t know all the details regarding President Trump’s decision in northern Syria. In process of setting up phone call with Secretary Pompeo.
If press reports are accurate this is a disaster in the making.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 7, 2019
US troops ordered out may provide the vacuum needed for the full resurgence of ISIS, according to most reports. It is also an uncomfortable situation for US allies worldwide as Turkey has been preparing to invade the Kurdish area of Syria. One military leader stated, “They’re going to slaughter those cats.”
As we have previously reported, Turkey views the Kurdish YPG as an extension of the Kurdish PKK, which has run an insurgency in Turkey for 35 years. Ankara has been angry with the US for years because of our alliance with the Syrian Defense Forces. By pulling out, Turkey now has a “green light” for invasion. Turkey has plans to destroy the Kurds, and it appears they are about to take that step.
President Trump may deeply desire that no more US troops die in battle. It does leave a propaganda opening for both Russia and China to tell our allies “They will just abandon you.”
Featured photo: A US soldier stands guard during a security patrol outside Manbij, Syria, June 24, 2018. The patrols are done in coordination with Turkish military forces along the demarcation line outside Manbij to achieve safety and stability in the region. Image: US Army/Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Koster
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