According to US defense officials familiar with the situation, President Trump’s decision to withdraw US forces from Syria was made following a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
This talk came following Erdogan’s threat last week to invade Kurdish
eastern Syria, where US forces are deployed. Officials say that Erdogan
essentially warned the US forces to “get out of the way” of the
invasion.
US officials had been warning Erdogan against the invasion before that
call. Immediately following the call, Erdogan claimed to have been given
Trump’s blessing to go ahead with the invasion. It’s not clear, but the
implication seems to be that Trump has agreed to get out of the way.
Other reports indicate that there have been debates of US policy in Syria, with respect to Turkey, for awhile, with some arguing that the US alliance with the Syrian Kurds was always temporary, and that the US alliance with Turkey is a long-term priority.
Now, it seems the US is trying to finish withdrawing from Syria before
Turkey gets there, while Turkey’s Defense Ministry says that they are “intensely preparing” for the invasion, which they view as a “counter-terror” operation against the Kurdish YPG.
Clinton sent in 10’s of thousands of mercenaries in collaboration with Israel Saudi Arabia and others into Syria to effect regime change.
It seems lost on people that the USA is not in Syria fighting ISIS they are there to destabilize Syria in the hopes of the government falling.
It really is starting to sound like Turkey is going to make a big move across the border. Hard to say how that story ends.
I guess this is the bad news then.
Other reports are that the responsible US generals of the NATO command were urging Trump to avoid an open fight with Turkey. Apparently Mattis and some others thought they were bluffing.
If Turkey did go into Syria, what was the US going to do? Fight our NATO ally? It was put up or shut up, or simply ignore the issue calling it a bluff.
Many very responsible US generals were NOT calling it a bluff, and were urging what Trump did. The DC Bubble did not hear them, doesn’t care, it has its own agenda. That does not mean that Trump is failing to follow ALL good advice, just that he chose to follow the generals responsible for our NATO alliance. Even in DC, the NATO alliance is considered important.
The YPG need to get on the phone with Assad immediately, otherwise there’s gonna be a bloodbath. The US needs to get out but Erdogan needs to stay out too. Only Assad and Putin can keep the peace in this neighborhood. I’ve been saying it from the drop.