Washington (AFP) – The Pentagon said Sunday President Donald Trump had ordered the withdrawal of up to 1,000 troops from northern Syria — almost the entire ground force in war-torn country — amid an intensifying Turkish assault on Kurdish forces.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the move came after the US learned that Turkey was pressing further into Syria than had been expected.
And the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are seeking a deal with the Syrian regime and Russia to counter-attack against the Turks in the north, Esper added.
“We find ourselves as we have American forces likely caught between two opposing advancing armies and it’s a very untenable situation,” Esper told CBS’s Face the Nation.
“So I spoke with the president last night after discussions with the rest of the national security team and he directed that we begin a deliberate withdrawal of forces from northern Syria.”
President Trump Nominates Franklin Graham’s Daughter for Key Religious Freedom Position
Nancy Mace Wants Lindsay Clancy Executed, And Says ‘It Should Be Public’
Senate moves to rein in college sports ‘Wild West’ with sweeping new rules for players, schools
Democrat rebels defy Jeffries to hand GOP critical win just before midterms
Kash Patel says ‘no evidence’ Trump shooter Thomas Crooks spoke to anyone but his parents
Oct. 7 families release dossier blaming Netanyahu for massacre
Historic: FBI Captures All 10 Fugitives on ‘Most Wanted’ List in Trump’s Second Term
Newsom’s Harris gamble: Clearing the field or betting she won’t run?
Mainstream Media Attempts to Cancel Star Texas QB Arch Manning for His Comments About Female ESPN Reporter
AG Blanche unveils federal charges against 160 defendants in pandemic relief sweep
Seven noncitizens charged in North Texas election-integrity investigation
Pentagon reveals secret space weapons are already in orbit — but won’t say what they do
WATCH: ‘Lifelong Democrat’ admits she is ‘ashamed’ of party after son killed in illegal immigrant crash
Karl Rove to Vote for Pro-Trans Dem After GOP Candidate Shares Texas Student Section Pic
Watch: Chiefs Used a Clever Bit of ‘Gamesmanship’ During TV Timeouts to Gain an Edge Over the Broncos
Esper said he was unable to provide a timeline because of the rapidly changing situation on the ground, but added that the withdrawal would be carried out in a “very safe, deliberate manner.”
“Look it’s a very terrible situation over there. A situation caused by the Turks… Despite our opposition they decided to make this incursion into Syria,” Esper told CBS.
“And at this point in time in the last 24 hours we learned that they likely intend to expand their attack further south than originally planned and to the west
“We also have learned in the last 24 hours that the… SDF are looking to cut a deal, if you will, with the Syrians and the Russians to counter-attack against the Turks in the north.”
– ‘Immediate defensive action’ –
Asked if troops would be leaving the country altogether, Esper clarified that the withdrawal was just from northern Syria, “which is where most of our forces are.”
President Trump Nominates Franklin Graham’s Daughter for Key Religious Freedom Position
Nancy Mace Wants Lindsay Clancy Executed, And Says ‘It Should Be Public’
Senate moves to rein in college sports ‘Wild West’ with sweeping new rules for players, schools
Democrat rebels defy Jeffries to hand GOP critical win just before midterms
Kash Patel says ‘no evidence’ Trump shooter Thomas Crooks spoke to anyone but his parents
Oct. 7 families release dossier blaming Netanyahu for massacre
Historic: FBI Captures All 10 Fugitives on ‘Most Wanted’ List in Trump’s Second Term
Newsom’s Harris gamble: Clearing the field or betting she won’t run?
Mainstream Media Attempts to Cancel Star Texas QB Arch Manning for His Comments About Female ESPN Reporter
AG Blanche unveils federal charges against 160 defendants in pandemic relief sweep
Seven noncitizens charged in North Texas election-integrity investigation
Pentagon reveals secret space weapons are already in orbit — but won’t say what they do
WATCH: ‘Lifelong Democrat’ admits she is ‘ashamed’ of party after son killed in illegal immigrant crash
Karl Rove to Vote for Pro-Trans Dem After GOP Candidate Shares Texas Student Section Pic
Watch: Chiefs Used a Clever Bit of ‘Gamesmanship’ During TV Timeouts to Gain an Edge Over the Broncos
Fighting raged along the border on the fifth day of an offensive that has provoked an international outcry and left dozens of civilians and fighters dead.
Ankara launched the long-threatened offensive against the SDF, which it considers “terrorists” linked to insurgents inside Turkey, after Trump ordered American special forces serving as a trip wire against Turkish action to pull back from the border.
The US withdrawal provoked a bipartisan firestorm of outrage and accusations that Trump was abandoning a loyal ally in the fight against Islamic State militants.
Trump tweeted Sunday that it was “very smart not to be involved in the intense fighting along the Turkish Border, for a change.”
“The Kurds and Turkey have been fighting for many years… Others may want to come in and fight for one side or the other. Let them! We are monitoring the situation closely. Endless Wars!” he said.
Hundreds of relatives of foreign jihadists escaped from a displacement camp in northern Syria, Kurdish authorities said Sunday, as the number of people fleeing the Turkish assault soared to 130,000.
President Trump Nominates Franklin Graham’s Daughter for Key Religious Freedom Position
Nancy Mace Wants Lindsay Clancy Executed, And Says ‘It Should Be Public’
Senate moves to rein in college sports ‘Wild West’ with sweeping new rules for players, schools
Democrat rebels defy Jeffries to hand GOP critical win just before midterms
Kash Patel says ‘no evidence’ Trump shooter Thomas Crooks spoke to anyone but his parents
Oct. 7 families release dossier blaming Netanyahu for massacre
Historic: FBI Captures All 10 Fugitives on ‘Most Wanted’ List in Trump’s Second Term
Newsom’s Harris gamble: Clearing the field or betting she won’t run?
Mainstream Media Attempts to Cancel Star Texas QB Arch Manning for His Comments About Female ESPN Reporter
AG Blanche unveils federal charges against 160 defendants in pandemic relief sweep
Seven noncitizens charged in North Texas election-integrity investigation
Pentagon reveals secret space weapons are already in orbit — but won’t say what they do
WATCH: ‘Lifelong Democrat’ admits she is ‘ashamed’ of party after son killed in illegal immigrant crash
Karl Rove to Vote for Pro-Trans Dem After GOP Candidate Shares Texas Student Section Pic
Watch: Chiefs Used a Clever Bit of ‘Gamesmanship’ During TV Timeouts to Gain an Edge Over the Broncos
US troops near the northern border came under artillery fire from Turkish positions on Friday, the Pentagon said, warning that the US was prepared to meet aggression with “immediate defensive action.”
The US military confirmed an explosion within a few hundred meters of its post near the town of Kobani, in an area “known by the Turks to have US forces present.”
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Friday that Trump had authorized — but not yet activated — new sanctions to dissuade Turkey from further offensive military action.
“We can shut down all US dollar transactions with the entire government of Turkey,” Mnuchin told ABC on Sunday.
“It’s something we may do. There’s full authority and something at a moment’s notice the president can tell me to do.”
Story cited here.
