US President Donald Trump green-lighted a Turkish incursion into Northern Syria late on Sunday, drawing accusations of treachery and betrayal from Washington’s Kurdish allies on the ground in Syria, Euronews reports.
The Kurdish dominated Syrian Democratic Forces have served as a key US partner on the ground in the fight against IS in Syria.
The move has raised huge questions over security in the region, and the future of thousands of suspected ISIS members currently held in Kurdish custody.
Donald Trump is not a Commander-in-Chief. He makes impulsive decisions with no knowledge or deliberation. He sends military personnel into harm’s way with no backing. He blusters and then leaves our allies exposed when adversaries call his bluff or he confronts a hard phone call.
— Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) 7 октября 2019 г.
An SDF statement read, “despite our efforts to avoid any military escalation with Turkey and the flexibility we have shown to move forward with the establishment of the border security mechanism and [despite the fact that] we have fulfilled all our obligations in this regard, the US forces have not fulfilled their obligations and withdrew their forces from the border areas with Turkey to prepare for an invasion of northern and eastern Syria.”
It added, “This Turkish military operation in northern and eastern Syria will have a significant negative impact on our war on ISIS and will destroy everything that has been achieved from the state of stability over the past years.”
The White House statement said that Turkey would take responsibility for Imprisoned ISIS numbers currently held by the Kurdish authorities in Syria – they are thought to number in their tens of thousands.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later refuted this in a press conference on Monday morning.