January 16, 2025
Trump pulls back troops from northern Syria ahead of Turkish assault, Pentagon officials 'blindsided'
The U.S. will not be involved in the Turkey operation, the White House said.
The U.S. will not be involved in the Turkey operation, the White House said.

The White House announced late Sunday that Turkey will soon move forward with a planned military operation in northeast Syria, as U.S. troops who have been deployed and operating with Kurdish-led forces in the area began pulling back from their positions.

The decision sent shockwaves through the region and Washington, with U.S. officials telling Fox News that top Pentagon officials were “completely blindsided” and “shocked” by the order to pull back hundreds of U.S. troops, a move that effectively green-lights the Turkey operation. President Trump spoke with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by telephone.

Some officials see the move as a betrayal of the Kurds, whom the U.S. supported against ISIS for years.

Speaking on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called it an “impulsive decision” by Trump that would undo U.S. gains in the region and give ISIS fighters a “second lease on life.”

He tweeted: “If press reports are accurate this is a disaster in the making.”

[…]

See Also:

(1) US troops leave 2 NE Syria posts ahead of Turkish operation against Kurds

(2) ‘Time to get out of these ridiculous endless wars’: Trump orders US pullback from Syrian border before Turkish operation begins

(3) EU warns Turkey operation in Syria will harm civilians

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