Pentagon officials are reporting that US Special Forces troops came under fire in northern Syria, near the Kurdish city of Kobane. Turkish forces were accused of firing artillery forces at the US troops, though Turkey’s Defense Ministry denied that this was the case.
Pentagon officials say that there were no injuries, but at one point the Turkish fire was so heavy that they “considered firing back.” They did not fire back, and rather withdrew once the firing had stopped.
This incident took place within the “safe zone” that Turkey has intended to take over, despite US officials reporting as recently as the day before that there were no US troops left in that area. Pentagon officials say 15-100 US troops are still in the area, and that Turkey has been informed “down to the grid” where those US forces are.
Most reports are chalking this up to a “mistake,” and it seems unlikely that the US intends to respond, since unnamed officials are the only ones being quoted in the press.
There is some political pressure on President Trump to do something to Turkey in response to the North Syria invasion, and while Trump has threatened sanctions if Turkey crosses an undefined red line, it seems unlikely that this incident, with no casualties, will lead to much more than some harsh statements and rhetoric.
Sheesh, cant withdraw from a known, forewarned war zone ?
This was a bit of a “goose” because the US was moving slowly about getting out of the way.
Likely there are many inside the Warfare State who want to remain and establish a large Kurdish state based on US military bases all over it. Unless pushed, they won’t follow orders except with the slowest possible foot dragging while trying to get the orders reversed.
It is hard to know which Trump is to be believed, nut he rather made it clear that he is not interested in Kurdish cause and all tribal issues there. It is nine of US interest. ISIS is gone and the threats of resurgent ISIS are not serious. So, he wants to leave.
What he may have promised Kurds is that Kobane will not be invaded. This is the only Kurd majority town in the entire fiction called SDF controlled area.
He probably made that red line.
But there is no way of preventing Kurds now massacring American isolated posts — and blame it on Turkey. This pullout should have been cleaner, let Turkey — going around Kobane — take over all Arab towns and villages throughout so called SDF area, excepting the US base area at Al-Tanf. Then after the Astana peace process advances through UN, US mission will be done, and that border area turned over to Iraq and Syria border control.
Right now, it is hard to say if our soldiers are in danger to be used as tripwires. We better know this: YPG as political party has been damaged for a while and have no support among Kurds. The ONLY thing they had was US forces — and hope that the linger forces stay — the more likely will they keep the territory that is majority Arab. And get autonomy under US protection. We are responsible for dangling the prospect of nation building to Kurds. Now, YPG leadership is blamed, and as YPG has forced some of their competing parties’ leadership into exile — and accept to work for US , now they are desperate. We caused the mess — as we were too focused on regime change. And lost out of sight what could be consequences.
YPG has already lost militarily in Afrin, a Kurdish enclave to the West to Turkey. And Afrin could not wait to use Turkish invasion to topple YPG.
If we paid attention to Afrin, we would not have made this mess. Syria would have been at peace for at least year now, if we are not just fumbling about. Trump was right last time when he wanted to withdraw. All those lives list for nothing.
gads, but the American military is full of cowardly war criminals. It’s all well and good for us to bomb women and children, but heaven forbid any of our baby killers should ever come under hostile fire.
Usually when our government lies to the American people and the world, it takes more than a few days for us to find out. The Trump admin is more honest with the Turkish military (which it is actively threatening towards) than with us. That’s what should have been the “red line” Newsweek was talking about, but they’re so used to being lied to that it’s more interesting to fish for a war pretext with Turkey.
If only we had an adversarial press, instead of press looking for adversaries.
“The explosion occurred within a few hundred meters of a location
outside the Security Mechanism zone and in an area known by the Turks to
have U.S. forces present.”
Please correct headline.
For once the Turks had the right target 🙂