Middle East
US: “We will not abandon the Kurds;†calls on Turkey to stop attack in Syria; but is rebuffed by Erdogan
Laurie Mylroie Laurie Mylroie
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper at a Pentagon briefing, Aug. 28, 2019. (Photo: AFP/Alex Wong)
WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – Amid mounting bipartisan criticism of the limited US response to Turkey’s cross-border attack into northeast Syria, the US signaled a major shift in policy on Friday.
Read More: Trump defends Syria decision, backs refugees’ move to 'safe zone,' as Congressional criticism grows
The shift was signaled in briefings given by senior officials, first by the Pentagon and then by the Treasury Department.
At the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, strongly and publicly expressed their opposition to the assault, while affirming that the US would not abandon its Kurdish allies.
Read more at: https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/746b11d9-ad16-41c4-ad7d-e20616ad13a7
Policeman isn't even the exact right word, what we are doing somewhat, and I fully respect those who are caught in this war, is babysitting the whole situation and I don't mean that in a way to besmirch anyone. They gave us their all. We need to help out, BE LOYAL, on the other hand, reading an article, I noted another softspot with the Turks, how we keep this Gulen fellow who seems to be wanted over there. I certainly can't make sense of that.
This is from August but very timely.
August 27-2019 07:22 PM
The Turkish threat to the NATO alliance
Halmat Palani
Following the territorial defeat of the so-called Islamic State in Syria in March 2019, President Donald Trump announced, “Mission accomplished,†and declared that the United States would be pulling out of Syria as part of his foreign policy goal of untangling America from involvement in wars overseas. While Turkey, Russia, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad welcomed Trump’s announcement, the Syrian Kurds were left greatly worried because of threats by Turkey to invade Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), the multi-ethnic administration that is essentially a Kurdish project but is ruled with Arabs and other ethnicities in northeastern Syria.
The withdrawal announcement came amid heightened tension between Washington and Ankara which began with a failed coup that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in Massachusetts, was behind. The recent purchase of S-400 fighter jets from Russia has, however, taken Turkey’s belligerence and exploitation of its NATO membership to a new level.
While it is quite reasonable to acknowledge Turkey’s security concerns, playing both sides of the fence and buying Russian weapons is tantamount to aiding Russia which has been a clear adversary to the US and the NATO alliance since the Cold War. According to Senior Fellow Fedriga Bindi at the School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University, Erdogan “has essentially been given the all-clear to do what he wants, and this is not only damaging NATO, but also the whole Western community—and its values system.†In other words, while not the only one, Turkey’s actions under Erdogan threatens the strategic interests of NATO in the Middle East as well as the democratic values and principles that underlie it as an institution.
Read more at: https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/opinion/5c55a138-4a6c-44f1-99db-2b0390f02648
It's interesting that the very man who could somewhat defeat ISIS, the only candidate in the election itself, of course, other candidates would have been competent from the GOP in this department, but this president was at least, able to put ISIS on its backheels, that part of the war was good.
I hope Haley, Rubio and others continue to send out there message.
Graham is smart, Rubio is but don't let them fool you that they have complete knowledge on all of this, they are busy people. Tom Cotton was at the Trump rally last night, I haven't heard him comment much on this, he probably has and I've just missed it. No, I don't see Cotton quite commenting on this.
But it is better to get information from all sides. Make up one's mind then.
4 Turkish soldiers killed since beginning of Turkish incursion into northern Syria
By TM - October 12, 2019
Four Turkish soldiers have been killed since Wednesday, when the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) launched a military offensive in northern Syria against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which it sees as a terrorist group, according to Turkish media reports.
Turkey launched its long-planned operation on Wednesday aimed at taking out the Kurdish forces it sees as terrorists but which most of the West views as key partners in the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants. The Turkish military operation began days after a surprise and widely criticized White House announcement that US forces would withdraw from the region.
More: https://www.turkishminute.com/2019/10/12/4-turkish-soldiers-killed-since-beginning-of-turkish-incursion-into-northern-syria/
For total transparency, I believe I have heard "Turkish Minute" is backed by that Gulen fellow.
When the coup happened, that Turk basketball player,
Ennis Kanter actually said he was with Gulen when that
Coup attempt happened of 2016 and Kanter didn't note anything strange from Gulen.... so, this is all a lot of intrigue.
Trump should talk to Kanter! Invite him to the White House.