How the Pentagon plans to protect American forces in Syria from Turkish attacks

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How the Pentagon plans to protect American forces in Syria from Turkish attacks

By: Aaron Mehta

WASHINGTON — As Turkey continues an incursion into Syria targeting Kurdish forces backed by the U.S., the Pentagon has given the Turkish military detailed coordinates of where American forces are, and a stark warning: American personnel in Syria have the right to defend themselves, even against a longstanding NATO ally.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and the newly-installed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, made frustrations with Ankara’s decision to attack Kurdish forces that had been working with the U.S. and allies to defeat the Islamic State group, and emphasized that the U.S. was not “abandoning” Kurdish forces.

But Esper made it clear that their highest priority is defending American military personnel in the region, even as Turkish President Recep Erdogen has put the U.S. “in a tough situation.”

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