Pompeo: Trump threat to Turkey shows US commitment to Kurds
By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic WriterRIYADH, Saudi Arabia — 9m agofacebook twitter mail
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that President Donald Trump's threat to devastate NATO ally Turkey's economy if it attacks U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria underscores America's commitment to its partners.
Pompeo said he had yet to speak with Turkish officials or Trump about the president's tweeted threat and that he assumed Trump was referring to the imposition of sanctions should Turkey take military action against the Kurds in Syria, U.S. allies in the fight against the Islamic State group.
On Sunday, Trump tweeted that the U.S. will "attack again from existing nearby base if it (IS) reforms. Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds."
Read more at: https://abcnews.go.com/beta-story-container/International/wireStory/pompeo-trump-threat-turkey-shows-us-commitment-kurds-60357145
US Secretary of State Pompeo ends Mideast tour due to death in the family
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 14 January 2019
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has cut his Middle East tour short due to a death in the family.
“Secretary Pompeo will return to the United States after his meetings in Muscat, Oman," State Department Deputy Spokesman Robert Palladino told Bloomberg. “This curtailment of travel is required so that the Pompeo family may attend a family funeral.â€
See more at: https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2019/01/14/US-Secretary-of-State-Pompeo-ends-Mideast-tour-due-to-death-in-the-family.html
NY Times:
... A senior administration official said the United States would continue to pursue the withdrawal of Iranian-backed forces from Syria and a political solution in that country. He said the United States was leaving a contingent of American troops at the Al Tanf base in south-central Syria, as a deterrent to Iranian movements in that region.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/13/us/politics/bolton-iran-pentagon.html
This was cited as saying, we are indeed, still leaving some troops there.
TRANSCRIPT: Read Al Arabiya’s interview with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2019/01/12/TRANSCRIPT-Read-Al-Arabiya-s-full-interview-with-US-Secretary-Mike-Pompeo.html
If one wants more to read, interview with Pompeo.
