Earlier this week, Donald Trump announced that the US would strip its forces in northern Syria from its borders. Thus, the US President allowed Turkey's long-threatened offensive against the Kurdish militias in the region. Now Trump turns to the former Kurdish allies - and advises them to retreat.
It's very difficult to beat a force that, unlike its own units, has an air force, Trump said. Therefore he hopes that the Kurdish militias operating in northern Syria will move away from the border with Turkey.
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. Ankara sees in her 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.
Trump repeats sanctions threats
However, the US President dismissed this accusation and reiterated his sanction threats against Ankara instead. "I have made it clear to Turkey that we will impose very fast, strong and harsh economic sanctions if they fail to honor their commitments," said Trump to supporters in Washington. These commitments include the "protection of religious minorities and the monitoring of IS detainees we have captured".
The SDF detains tens of thousands of IS supporters in camps. Now international worries are growing about what happens to the detainees. Former US Secretary of Defense and General James Mattis warned in a NBC interview that IS is resurgent. The terrorists are not defeated - and it is questionable whether the Kurds, despite the Turkish military operation will be able to maintain the fight against the IS.
Kurds warn of "great catastrophe"
The Berlin-based representative of the Kurdish regions, Ibrahim Murad, told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:" We are facing a major catastrophe. "Kurdish soldiers could" do almost nothing against air strikes. "He also warned:" We can continue detaining the Do not guarantee jihadists "because all soldiers would be needed at the border.
(A detailed analysis of the situation in the IS prison camp can be found here.)
Read here, an analysis of Erdogan's plans in Syria
Since the beginning of the Turkish offensive, tens of thousands of people have fled their homes. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights at least 30 civilians were killed. The SDF said around two dozen of their fighters had been killed. On the other hand, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said Saturday that more than 450 YPG fighters had been "out of action".
Turkey is internationally criticized for its actions in Syria. The US Treasury Department said on Saturday that sanctions were being prepared. Subsequently, several countries - including Germany - restricted their arms exports to Ankara. Nevertheless, Ankara is pushing ahead with its offensive.