President Trump insisted he was not abandoning Kurdish-led forces as he defended Washington’s relationship with Turkey in the face of an angry backlash at his plans to withdraw U.S. troops from northeastern Syria.
Key allies of the president, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, were among those who expressed their concern just when Trump needs their support to combat the Democrats’ impeachment push.
“We may be in the process of leaving Syria, but in no way have we Abandoned the Kurds, who are special people and wonderful fighters,” wrote Trump in a Tuesday morning Twitter post. “Likewise our relationship with Turkey, a NATO and Trading partner, has been very good.
“Turkey already has a large Kurdish population and fully understands that while we only had 50 soldiers remaining in that section of Syria, and they have been removed, any unforced or unnecessary fighting by Turkey will be devastating to their economy and to their very fragile currency. We are helping the Kurds financially/weapons!”
….understands that while we only had 50 soldiers remaining in that section of Syria, and they have been removed, any unforced or unnecessary fighting by Turkey will be devastating to their economy and to their very fragile currency. We are helping the Kurds financially/weapons!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2019
The White House announced the withdrawal on Sunday evening, prompting Trump friends and critics to warn that he had offered a tacit green light for a Turkish strike on Kurdish forces.
The Kurdish fighters have long been allied with Washington in the battle against the Islamic State in Syria, but they are viewed as terrorists by Ankara.
Graham phoned into Trump’s favorite news show Fox & Friends to call the decision a “stain on America’s honor” and warn it risked further chaos.
“This to me is just unnerving to its core,” he said. “To say to the American people that ISIS has been destroyed in Syria is just not true.”
Sen. Marco Rubio, another ally who has pushed back publicly on impeachment, described the decision as a “grave mistake.”
If reports about US retreat in #Syria are accurate, the Trump administration has made a grave mistake that will have implications far beyond Syria.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 7, 2019
Confusion deepened because of the way in which Trump framed the decision as part of his long-standing commitment to end America’s foreign wars.
“There’s got to be a time we get out,” he said ahead of a meeting with senior military leaders on Monday. “We have to bring our people back home.”
However, a senior administration official later insisted the move was in no way a “green light” for a Turkish operation and that special forces personnel were being redeployed inside Syria rather than being withdrawn entirely.
“We have a small number — you know, 50 to 100 special operators — in the region, and they should not be put at risk of injury, death, or capture in the event that the Turks do come over the border and engage in combat with the local Kurdish forces,” he said.
