Description
Kurdish fighters from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
Credits Delil Souleiman/AFP/Getty Images
Trump makes way for Turkish offensive against Kurdish-led forces who played major role in defeating Islamic State
In Depth Gabriel Power Monday, October 7, 2019 – 2:29pm
The US military is to withdraw troops from northeast Syria as Turkey prepares to launch a military offensive that Kurdish fighters say will threaten the stability of the region.
See related The extraordinary tale of Carl Beech Carl Beech convicted of lying about VIP paedophile ring
The White House announced the decision on Sunday in a statement that makes no reference to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led militia that helped to defeat Islamic State within Syria. “The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the [Turkish] operation, and United States forces, having defeated the Isis territorial Caliphate, will no longer be in the immediate area,” the statement said.
As The Telegraph notes, the US had “for months been working with Turkey to try to create a buffer zone along its border with northern Syria between the Turkish military and Kurdish forces which Ankara sees as terrorists”.
But Turkey has repeatedly criticised the slow implementation of the buffer zone and “threatened a unilateral assault” on the Kurds, the newspaper says.
The US had refused to move aside to allow such military operations by Turkey until now, in a policy shift that Al Jazeera says will see Washington “abandon an American ally in the battle against Isil [Isis], which took over swathes of Syria before being defeated a year ago”.
Responding to the impending withdrawal of the hundreds of US troops in the region, SDF spokesperson Mustafa Bali warned that President Donald Trump is “about to ruin the trust and cooperation between the SDF and US built during the fight against Isis”.
“Turkeys unprovoked attack on our areas will have a negative impact on our fight against Isis and the stability and peace we have created in the region,” said a separate statement from the SDF, which added that its fighters were “determined to defend our land at all costs”.
So what will the US withdrawal mean for the Middle East?
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world – and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the weeks news agenda – try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues free
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
What is the US doing?
The US has been fighting alongside SDF fighters against Isis militants in Syria since 2015. Despite the White House last year announcing the defeat of the jihadists, the situation in Kurdish Syria remains tense owing to neighbouring Turkey, another key ally for the US.
The Guardian reports that Ankara “sees the SDF as indistinguishable from Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey and views it as a serious security threat”. The two sides have been involved in a number of small skirmishes on the Turkey-Syria border over the past year.
In August, the US and Turkey signed an agreement to create a so-called safe zone near the border, “in recognition of Ankaras security concerns, that obviated the need for an Turkish incursion”, says the newspaper.
However, the US is now effectively leaving the Kurds to the mercy of Turkey by withdrawing its troops from the safe zone and allowing an Ankara-sanctioned military operation to go ahead.
What will the Turkish operation entail?
Turkey has long threatened military action against the SDF, but has revealed few details of what that would involve. The BBC reports that the “initial indications would point to a limited incursion by Turkey along a 60-mile (100km) stretch between the towns of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain”.
“Its a sparsely populated, mostly Arab area,” the broadcaster says. “American forces have already withdrawn from four border positions there.”
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey had “completed our preparations and action plan” and was ready to launch a “ground and air operation” east of the Euphrates River.
CNN reports that Erdogans self-described goal is to establish “peace” by clearing the region of “terrorists”.
“It is maybe today or tomorrow the time to clear the way for (our) peace efforts … We will carry out a ground and air operation,” Erdogan told supporters of his Justice and Development Party at an event in the Turkish capital.
However, Al Jazeera reports that in a separate televised address, Erdogans language was considerably less diploRead More – Source
