In an unthinkable announcement last night, the White House said that United States forces in northern Syria would move aside in advance of a planned Turkish military offensive.
White House Statement
“Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria… 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. Turkey would now be responsible for all captured ISIS fighters who are currently being held by US-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria.”
As of last month, the US said
“about 1,000 US troops were operating in northeastern Syria. Sunday’s statement did not specify if this constituted a full withdrawal of personnel from the country”
Following a phone call between Donald Drumpf and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the White House announced that Turkey would soon begin a military attack and US forces would not be involved in the operation.
The pull out of Syria move marks a major shift in US foreign policy and effectively gives Turkey the green light to attack US-backed Kurdish forces.
The Kurdish forces considered as Washington’s most reliable partners in Syria and they played a key strategic role in the campaign against ISIS in the region.
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