US to withdraw troops in Syria and step aside for Turkish assault on Kurds, in major policy shift
- Washington had previously sought to stop any Turkish operation against a US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia viewed by Ankara as a ‘terrorist’ offshoot of Kurdish militants in Turkey
- The US worked closely with the People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia to recapture swathes of territory from Isis jihadists
The decision represents a dramatic reversal in US policy. In 2015, the US provided air support for Kurdish militias to retake the critical town of Kobani from Isis and has since used Kurdish fighters as ground troops in the campaign to clear Syria of the group.
For months, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch the military assault against Kurdish forces across the border he views as a threat to his country. Republicans and Democrats have warned that allowing the Turkish attack could lead to a massacre of the Kurds, sending a troubling message to American allies across the globe.
US troops “will not support or be involved in the operation” and “will no longer be in the immediate area” in northern Syria, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in an unusual late-Sunday statement that was silent on the fate of the Kurds. There are about 1,000 US troops in Northern Syria, and a senior US official said they will pull back from the area – and potentially depart the country entirely should widespread fighting break out between Turkish and Kurdish forces.
The announcement followed a call between President Donald Trump and Erdogan, the White House said.
Trump on Monday defended his administration’s decision to withdraw US troops, saying it was too costly to keep supporting US-allied Kurdish-led forces in the region.
“The Kurds fought with us, but were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so. They have been fighting Turkey for decades,” Trump said in a series of tweets. “Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to figure the situation out.”