The US State Department has raised deep concerns about reports of a planned Turkish military offensive in northern Syria, saying they worry about the civilian population, and that more fighting would put the US troops there at risk.
The area of northern Syria being targeted includes a lot of Kurdish territory. The Turkish government is constantly at odds with the local YPG, and the US statement acknowledged “Turkey’s legitimate security concerns.”
The YPG had been US allies in the fight against ISIS in Syria, and while the US isn’t hostile with them after that, they’ve largely not done anything about Turkish incursions in the area.
Turkey’s President Erdogan says the new operations will create a 30 km deep safe zone along the Syrian zone, saying it was necessarily to combat the “terrorists.”
The US presence in Syria is limited, with only a very small base near an oil facility set up with designs to take Syria’s oil. It’s unlikely either side would deliberately attack the US but this fighting could worsen security in general and create opportunities for ISIS remnants or others.
1. Why is the USA there?
2. When has the USA cared about civilian deaths except for some US recipients??
The idea that the US would show “concern” for the civilian population of Syria is laughable. I am choking on the hypocrisy we show daily. It is the US that has NO justification for being in Syria in the first place, having illegally attacked and seized territory within a sovereign nation that does not want us there. Worse, we are controlling their access to THEIR OWN OIL FIELDS while at the same time complaining about Turkey’s operations.
At the same time, we are going to try and bribe Erdogan to drop his opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, and act all offended when he tells us to go pound salt. I love my country, but Sheesh, no one lacks more self awareness, maturity, or common sense than our foreign policy establishment and military. What a pack of fools.