In the midst of Turkey's military offensive, US President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of more US troops from northern Syria. There was a danger that the US would come between two opposing armies that were advancing in northern Syria, said US Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper the US broadcaster CBS. That is a "very untenable" situation.
Esper had therefore spoken with Trump, who had ordered to begin with a withdrawal of forces from northern Syria. The US government wants to make sure that no US soldiers are injured or killed, Esper said. In the northeast of Syria were last about 1000 US soldiers.
From the immediate area of the Turkish offensive, which has been running since Wednesday, the US had withdrawn about 50 soldiers last week. The decision was cited by critics as a green light for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for use against Kurdish militias in northern Syria. Trump had conceded sharp criticism from his own ranks for the decision.
The aim of the Turkish offensive, which started on Wednesday, is the Kurdish militia YPG, which controls a large area on the Syrian side of the border. The government in Ankara sees it as an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party PKK in Turkey and thus a terrorist organization. For the US, however, the "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF) led by the Kurdish YPG in the fight against the terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS) were a reliable ally. Trump is therefore now accused of betraying the Kurds.
Read here, an analysis of Erdogan's plans in Syria
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