- 07 Oct 2019 21:36
#15040204
Following a phone call between Trump and Erdogan, the US decided to pull back from Kurdish-held areas at the Border between Turkey and Syria so that Turkey can occupy a corridor of about 30 by 480 kilometer along the border. Turkey intends to settle Sunni Arabs in the region, probably pushing out Kurds. Turkey is also to take charge of thousands of Islamist fighters captured by Kurdish fighters in its fight against ISIS.
The move is widely popular in Turkey as it is seen as a fight against Kurdish terrorists. Other than resettling up to 2 million Sunni Arabs now in Turkey as refugees, this Turkey-controlled buffer zone could also serve to park the Islamist fighters until they are used elsewhere.
Trump wants to fulfill his election promise of withdrawing US troops from conflict zones. It is, however, likely to backfire as it is seen as a betrayal of Kurdish allies after they have destroyed ISIS with US air support.
According to Newsweek:
Some very revealing statements here.
US to let Turkish forces move into Syria, dumping Kurdish allies
The trouble with bullies like Trump is that everybody knows they are cowards. US talks with the Taliban have ended in chaos. NK cut short discussions about nuclear disarmament after Trump gave them great PR and continually played down NK's missile tests. Threatening all hell to break loose if Iran didn't comply, he hasn't been able to reply to Iran's alleged drone strike knocking out half of Saudi oil production. After telling everybody that the trade talks with China are close to success, the Chinese are now toughening their position. Not enough, Trump got now "rolled" by US ally Turkey. The US, despite its huge military, has never been so weak in more than a century.
The move is widely popular in Turkey as it is seen as a fight against Kurdish terrorists. Other than resettling up to 2 million Sunni Arabs now in Turkey as refugees, this Turkey-controlled buffer zone could also serve to park the Islamist fighters until they are used elsewhere.
Trump wants to fulfill his election promise of withdrawing US troops from conflict zones. It is, however, likely to backfire as it is seen as a betrayal of Kurdish allies after they have destroyed ISIS with US air support.
According to Newsweek:
Official Who Heard Call Says Trump Got 'Rolled' By Turkey and 'Has No Spine'
...
The U.S. withdrawal plays into the hands of the Islamic State group, Damascus and Moscow, and the announcement left Trump's own Defense Department "completely stunned," said Pentagon officials.
...
"President Trump was definitely out-negotiated and only endorsed the troop withdraw to make it look like we are getting something—but we are not getting something," the National Security Council source told Newsweek. "The U.S. national security has entered a state of increased danger for decades to come because the president has no spine and that's the bottom line."
...
"As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, [ ] consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I've done before!)," said Trump on Twitter Monday.
...
Erdogan said Turkey would take custody of the ISIS militant prisoners, according to the White House statement and the National Security Council official Newsweek spoke to for this story.
"The ISIS prisoners, some of them, will eventually be freed amongst the chaos, and remain in the area or go elsewhere to rejoin the fight," speculated the National Security Council official.
...
"To be honest with you, it would be better for the United States to support a Kurdish nation across Turkey, Syria and Iraq," said the National Security Council official. "It would be another Israel in the region."
...
"We are telling the world, we will use you and then throw you away," the official added. "It's not like they don't have a television in Asia, in Africa, and South America."
Some very revealing statements here.
US to let Turkish forces move into Syria, dumping Kurdish allies
“The US will not hold them for what could be many years and great cost to the United States taxpayer. Turkey will now be responsible for all Isis fighters in the area captured over the past two years in the wake of the defeat of the territorial caliphate by the United States.”
Syria experts warned that the US abandonment of the SDF would lead to another, new front in the eight-year Syrian conflict, and could push the Kurds into seeking an arrangement with the Assad regime in Damascus.
The trouble with bullies like Trump is that everybody knows they are cowards. US talks with the Taliban have ended in chaos. NK cut short discussions about nuclear disarmament after Trump gave them great PR and continually played down NK's missile tests. Threatening all hell to break loose if Iran didn't comply, he hasn't been able to reply to Iran's alleged drone strike knocking out half of Saudi oil production. After telling everybody that the trade talks with China are close to success, the Chinese are now toughening their position. Not enough, Trump got now "rolled" by US ally Turkey. The US, despite its huge military, has never been so weak in more than a century.