[Istanbul 7th Reuters]-US troops began withdrawing from northeastern Syria on the 7th. With the withdrawal of the US military, Turkey is expected to move to a military operation to eliminate minority Kurdish forces from the region toward the establishment of a “safe zone” planned in northern Syria, which borders the border. The US government has supported Kurdish forces fighting against the radical Islamic State (IS) in northern Syria, which is a major policy shift.
In a post on Twitter, President Trump stated that the US is “the time to get out of a ridiculous endless battle”. Supporting Kurdish forces fighting IS is costly and said, “Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and Kurdish forces should deal with the problem in the future.”
President Trump talked with President Erdogan in Turkey on the 6th. The White House spokesman later announced in a statement that the US military would not be involved or supported in the near future of a military operation aimed at establishing a safe zone that Turkey had long planned. Turkey will be responsible for all IS fighters detained in the region.
President Erdogan announced that the US military had withdrawn from some parts of northeastern Syria after a telephone conference. In the first half of November, he met with President Trump in Washington and announced plans to discuss the establishment of a safe zone.
A spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including the Kurdish militia organization “People's Defense Force (YPG)”, who cooperated with the United States in the IS sweeping campaign, expressed that the US announcement was a surprise and betrayal. `` The U.S. troops withdrew from the Syrian-Turkish border zone without fulfilling their duties, and Turkey is ready for an invasion campaign in northern and eastern Syria. '' .
According to a senior Turkish government official, the US military is expected to withdraw in about a week, and Turkey is likely to start a military strategy in the region.
