Turkish forces massed along the Syrian border on Tuesday ahead of a long-expected invasion of Kurdish-held territories in the Syria’s northern region, multiple sources reported.
The forces arrived following President Trump’s announcement of a U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria on Sunday. Turkish officials claimed today to have launched air strikes against a Kurdish reinforcement route near the Syrian-Iraqi border, while a separate report citing a U.S. official cast doubt on the claim.
The pending ground operation has placed the United States in an awkward position between two important regional partners. Turkey long has been a key NATO ally and a base of operations for U.S. forces in the Middle East. But the U.S.-Turkey relationship intermittently has been strained in recent years. Among other issues causing tension, the Islamic State reportedly smuggled oil across the Turkish border and used the country as a highway to transport foreign recruits to the caliphate. Turkey’s decision to purchase Russian air defense systems earlier this year further upset the U.S., leading the Pentagon to remove Turkey from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
The U.S. supported the Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, a Syrian Kurdish military faction within the Syrian Democratic Forces, in ground operations against the ISIS caliphate in Iraq and Syria. Turkey considers the YPG to be a branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a separatist group based in its southeast region that both the U.S. and Turkey have designated a foreign terrorist organization. According to reports, Turkey claims the invasion will create a “safe zone” between its territory and the YPG, though any operation is expected to put the two sides in conflict.
The Pentagon plans to stay out of the matter, issuing a statement early Monday afternoon saying it would not support any Turkish operations.
“The Department of Defense made clear to Turkey — as did the President — that we do not endorse a Turkish operation in Northern Syria. The U.S. Armed Forces will not support, or be involved in any such operation,” chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said. “In conversations between the Department and the Turkish military we have consistently stressed that coordination and cooperation were the best path toward security in the area. Secretary [of Defense Mark] Esper and Chairman [of the Joint Chiefs Mark] Milley reiterated to their respective Turkish counterparts that unilateral action creates risks for Turkey.”
The Pentagon later announced the removal of Turkish forces from anti-ISIS air strike operations, cutting Turkey off from shared intelligence and surveillance on northern Syria.
NEW: Armoured vehicles cross the #Turkey border to #Syria. They are on the way to the #Manbij frontline. pic.twitter.com/uEeuoKuZSs
— Ali Özkök (@Ozkok_A) October 7, 2019
Trump decided to remove American troops from Syria after a call on Sunday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement on Sunday. “The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation, and United States forces, having defeated the ISIS territorial ‘Caliphate,’ will no longer be in the immediate area.”
Some reports say U.S. troops still are present in the region, and a handful of special operations forces moved south, away from both the Turks and the YPG. Trump warned Turkey against overstepping in Syria in a tweet on Monday.
“If Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey,” Trump said.
But the president followed up with a softer tone on Tuesday, tweeting support for the Kurds and praising Turkey.
“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,” he said. “Likewise, our relationship with Turkey, a NATO and Trading partner, has been very good.”
Officials at United States Central Command, whose brief includes American military operations in Syria, did not respond to repeated inquiries from the Washington Examiner by press time.
