Trump: It costs too much to support Kurds against ISIS in Syria
Israel Hayom
October 7, 2019
US President Donald Trump on Monday defended his administration's decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria, saying it was too costly to keep supporting US-allied Kurdish-led forces in the region fighting the Islamic State.
"The Kurds fought with us, but were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so. They have been fighting Turkey for decades," Trump said in a series of tweets.
"Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to figure the situation out."
Earlier Monday, Germany expressed concerns at the prospect of an incursion by Turkey into northeastern Syria, saying such an intervention could further destabilize the war-torn country.
Ulrike Demmer, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, said on Monday that Germany is aware of the "special security policy situation" that Turkey faces on its border. But she cautioned that successes against the Islamic State group, which she noted were achieved in significant part by Syrian Kurdish forces with international support, "must not be endangered."
On Monday, US-backed Kurdish-led forces said American troops had begun pulling back from positions along the border in northeast Syria ahead of an expected Turkish invasion that the Syrian Kurds say will overturn five years of achievements in the battle against ISIS.
The Syrian Kurdish fighters also accused Washington of failing to abide by its commitments to its key allies in the fight against the Islamic State. It's a major shift in US policy.
There was no immediate confirmation from the White House of US troops clearing positions in areas in northern Syria.
"Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into northern Syria," the White House said after Trump spoke to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday.
"The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation, and United States forces, having defeated the ISIS territorial "caliphate," will no longer be in the immediate area," it added in a statement.
Erdoğan, however, also said American troops have started withdrawing from positions, and a video posted by a Kurdish news agency showed a convoy of American armored vehicles apparently heading away from the border area of Tal Abyad.
Erdoğan spoke hours after the White House said US forces in northeastern Syria will move aside and clear the way for an expected Turkish assault – essentially abandoning Kurdish fighters who fought alongside American forces in the yearslong battle to defeat the Islamic State group.
Erdoğan didn't elaborate on the planned Turkish incursion but said Turkey was determined to halt what it perceives as threats from the Syrian Kurdish fighters.
Erdoğan has threatened for months to launch the military operation across the border. He views the Syria Kurdish forces as a threat to his country as Ankara has struggled with a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey.
In the US, Republicans and Democrats have warned that allowing the Turkish attack could lead to a massacre of the Kurds and send a troubling message to American allies across the globe.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, as the Kurdish-led force is known, said the American pullout began first from areas along the Syria-Turkey border.
"The American forces did not abide by their commitments and withdrew their forces along the border with Turkey," the SDF said in its statement. "Turkey now is preparing to invade northern and eastern parts of Syria."
"The Turkish military operation in northern and eastern Syria will have a huge negative effect on our war against ISIS," it added.
In an agreement between Ankara and Washington, joint patrols had been patrolling a security zone that covers over 78 miles along the border between the towns of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn. The SDF had removed fortification from the areas, considered by Turkey as a threat, and retreated heavy weapons.
But Turkey and the US disagreed over the depth of the zone, with Ankara seeking to also have its troops monitor a stretch of territory between 19 to 25 miles. Despite the agreement, Erdoğan had continued to threaten an attack.
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'A stain on America's honor': Lindsey Graham says Trump's Syria pullout abandons Kurds, helps ISIS
By William Cummings and David Jackson
USA Today
October 7, 2019
WASHINGTON – Calling it a "stain on America's honor," Sen. Lindsey Graham on Monday denounced President Donald Trump's decision to pull U.S. troops out of northeastern Syria as Turkey prepares a military assault against Kurdish fighters who helped the U.S. battle the Islamic State.
Graham phoned into "Fox & Friends," which Trump is known to watch regularly, to express his displeasure at the "impulsive decision by the president," calling it "short-sighted and irresponsible." He said the move has "undone all the gains we've made" and "thrown the region into further chaos."
"This to me is just unnerving to its core," Graham said.
The U.S.-backed Kurds under the Syrian Democratic Forces said their American allies "did not fulfill their obligations" as U.S. troops began to withdraw from their positions ahead of the expected Turkish military operation.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan considers the Kurdish forces in Syria to be terrorists allied with Kurdish insurgents within his country and has long threatened a military incursion into the area.
Foreign policy experts, as well as Republican and Democratic lawmakers, have warned that allowing Turkey into the region could lead to a massacre of the Kurds and been seen as a betrayal of a U.S. military ally.
President Donald Trump defended the move on Twitter Monday, writing the U.S. "was supposed to be in Syria for 30 days" and "that was many years ago."
"We stayed and got deeper and deeper into battle with no aim in sight," Trump tweeted.
"The Kurds fought with us, but were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so," Trump added. He repeated his aversion to longterm U.S. military commitments overseas and said, "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 figure the situation out," he added.
Trump announced a U.S. withdrawal from Syria in late 2018, a plan that led to the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
Later, the president backed off a full withdrawal, but he apparently sees Monday's pullback as a way to resurrect his plan to get the U.S. out of Syria.
Graham was critical of last year’s plan to pull out of Syria and on Monday he said that if the reports of a withdrawal are accurate it is "a disaster in the making." He warned it will "will be a stain on America's honor for abandoning the Kurds" and "ensures" an "ISIS comeback."
"To say to the American people, 'ISIS has been destroyed in Syria,' is not true," Graham said on Fox News.
He said he would introduce a resolution in the Senate "asking for a reversal of this decision."
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said the withdrawal would be a "grave mistake that will have implications far beyond Syria" and would embolden Iran.
The SDF took down fortifications and removed heavy weapons for the border region in a move meant to appease Erdogan as part of an agreement in which American and Turkey would conduct joint patrols in along a 78-mile security zone.
"Despite our efforts to avoid any military escalation with Turkey, the flexibility we have shown to move forward with the establishment of the border security mechanism, and the fulfillment of all our obligations in this regard, the US forces did not fulfill their obligations and withdrew their forces from the territories bordering with Turkey," the SDF said in a statement shared by the Kurdish Hawar news agency.
The SDF warned that Turkey's planned "invasion" would "have a major negative impact on our war on ISIS and will destroy all the stability achieved during the past years."
The Kurdish fighters said they "will not hesitate for a moment to defend ourselves" and they called on "Arabs Kurds, Syrians and Assyrians to join forces and stand with their legitimate forces to defend our country against this Turkish aggression."
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham in a statement on Sunday that "Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria" and that U.S. forces "will not support or be involved in the operation."
The statement did not mention the U.S. pullout but Erdogan confirmed the pullback, as did the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. And video shared by Hawar reportedly showing U.S. forces withdrawing from the towns in of Tal Abyad and Serê Kaniyê.
A spokeswoman for the European Union warned that Turkey's planned military action "will only exacerbate civilian suffering and lead to massive displacement."
Ulrike Demmer, a spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Monday that the progress that has been made against the Islamic State "must not be endangered" and warned that Turkey could further destabilize Syria.
Trump said it was time to "bring our soldiers home," adding, "We are 7000 miles away and will crush ISIS again if they come anywhere near us!"
Many critics pointed out that Trump and his family have business interests in Turkey. Some cited a 2012 tweet from Ivanka Trump lauding Erdogan for helping launch a project in Istanbul.
Trump also mentioned the "magnificent" project in a tweet that year.
The unexpected withdrawal comes as Trump faces an impeachment inquiry over allegations that he pressured a foreign government to interfere in the 2020 election.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Abandoning the Kurds is the worst thing Tru7mp has done. Erdogan is an Islamic slimeball who is viewing with Iran for domination of the Middle East. Although elected, Erdogan is a brutal dictator who imprisons any opposition leaders to his regime. Before Erdogan, Turkey and Israel enjoyed a very friendly relationship. That is no longer the case. And Erdogan has vowed to eradicate our best ally in the war against ISIS, the Kurds. The Kurds were also our allies in Iraq. Abandoning the Kurds constitute an outright betrayal of a close ally. Shame on Trump!
In addition to Graham and Rubio, here is what some other notable Republicans said.
Nikki Haley: “We must always have the backs of our allies if we expect them to have our back, The Kurds were instrumental in our successful fight against ISIS iun Syria. Leaving them to die is a big mistake. Turkey is not our friend.”
Ted Cruz: “Our enemies and rivals (Iran, Russia, etc.) don’t abandon their allies; if we want allies to stand with America in the future, we shouldn’t either. Honorable nations stand by their friends. It would also be disgraceful if we sat idly by while Turkey slaughters the Kurds, as public reports suggest that Turkish leader Erdogan explicitly told President Trump he intends to do. Kurds risked their lives – for many years – to fight alongside us.”
Apparently, Trump finds it more important for the Ukraine and China to help him dig up dirt on Joe Biden than to prevent the slaughter of the Kurds.
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