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.”
Hochul primary challenger picks democratic socialist, once arrested for harassment, as running mate
DC Democrats Turn Their Backs on the Clintons: ‘They Bring Nothing But Baggage’
Government lawyer who told judge ‘this job sucks’ sent back to DHS
Democrats say Clintons’ agreement to testify undercuts subpoena push, won’t bring new Epstein answers
CBS News Pulls ’60 Minutes’ Episode After Contributor Appears in Epstein Files
Bill Gates Speaks Out on His Inclusion in Newly Released Epstein Documents
Noem vows criminal prosecution after catching alleged DHS ‘prolific leaker’
‘Melania’ Documentary Director Says ‘Divine Intervention’ Brought Him to the Surprise Hit Project
Anti-ICE activists plan to install 1,000 street blockades across Minneapolis
Putin and Trump plan dueling visits to China in battle to gain Xi’s favor
House GOP moves to block DC from stopping Trump tax cuts for tipped, overtime workers
Man accused of murdering National Guard member in DC pleads not guilty
Florida hospital worker allegedly stole wallet from 94-year-old patient, racked up $500 on credit cards
Breaking: Would-Be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Learns His Sentence
Border czar Tom Homan calls anti-ICE roadblocks in Minneapolis a ‘joke’ after police chief disbands them
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.”
Hochul primary challenger picks democratic socialist, once arrested for harassment, as running mate
DC Democrats Turn Their Backs on the Clintons: ‘They Bring Nothing But Baggage’
Government lawyer who told judge ‘this job sucks’ sent back to DHS
Democrats say Clintons’ agreement to testify undercuts subpoena push, won’t bring new Epstein answers
CBS News Pulls ’60 Minutes’ Episode After Contributor Appears in Epstein Files
Bill Gates Speaks Out on His Inclusion in Newly Released Epstein Documents
Noem vows criminal prosecution after catching alleged DHS ‘prolific leaker’
‘Melania’ Documentary Director Says ‘Divine Intervention’ Brought Him to the Surprise Hit Project
Anti-ICE activists plan to install 1,000 street blockades across Minneapolis
Putin and Trump plan dueling visits to China in battle to gain Xi’s favor
House GOP moves to block DC from stopping Trump tax cuts for tipped, overtime workers
Man accused of murdering National Guard member in DC pleads not guilty
Florida hospital worker allegedly stole wallet from 94-year-old patient, racked up $500 on credit cards
Breaking: Would-Be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Learns His Sentence
Border czar Tom Homan calls anti-ICE roadblocks in Minneapolis a ‘joke’ after police chief disbands them
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.
Hochul primary challenger picks democratic socialist, once arrested for harassment, as running mate
DC Democrats Turn Their Backs on the Clintons: ‘They Bring Nothing But Baggage’
Government lawyer who told judge ‘this job sucks’ sent back to DHS
Democrats say Clintons’ agreement to testify undercuts subpoena push, won’t bring new Epstein answers
CBS News Pulls ’60 Minutes’ Episode After Contributor Appears in Epstein Files
Bill Gates Speaks Out on His Inclusion in Newly Released Epstein Documents
Noem vows criminal prosecution after catching alleged DHS ‘prolific leaker’
‘Melania’ Documentary Director Says ‘Divine Intervention’ Brought Him to the Surprise Hit Project
Anti-ICE activists plan to install 1,000 street blockades across Minneapolis
Putin and Trump plan dueling visits to China in battle to gain Xi’s favor
House GOP moves to block DC from stopping Trump tax cuts for tipped, overtime workers
Man accused of murdering National Guard member in DC pleads not guilty
Florida hospital worker allegedly stole wallet from 94-year-old patient, racked up $500 on credit cards
Breaking: Would-Be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Learns His Sentence
Border czar Tom Homan calls anti-ICE roadblocks in Minneapolis a ‘joke’ after police chief disbands them
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.
