Overruling his advisers and blindsiding the Pentagon, President Trump has abruptly reversed course and endorsed Turkey’s imminent offensive against U.S.-Kurdish allies in northern Syria.
In a statement issued late Sunday, the White House said Trump spoke by phone to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and gave the Turkish president his blessing for his long-threatened military operation against elements of the Kurdish YPG militia, which has been among America’s most effective partners in the fight against ISIS.
“Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into northern Syria,” the statement said, indicating the United States would be abandoning a promise to protect its Kurdish allies. “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.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s staunchest defenders described this as a betrayal and “a stain on America’s honor.” It was, he said, an “impulsive decision by the president” that was “shortsighted and irresponsible.”
For months the U.S. has been trying to reassure Turkey that joint U.S.-Turkish patrols along the Turkish-Syria border would mitigate any threat from the YPG militia that Erdoğan regards as terrorists, and which the U.S. considers its most reliable partner in the ongoing fight against ISIS.
In recent weeks, the U.S. convinced the Kurdish YPG militia in the border region to pull back while the U.S. and Turkey oversaw the dismantling of their defenses. In return, the YPG received security guarantees from the U.S. which still has about 1,000 troops in Syria.
As late as Sunday morning, the Pentagon was insisting the “security mechanism” was “the best path forward,” and the U.S. European Command announced the plan would proceed with complete transparency.
On Friday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he had warned his Turkish counterpart against unilateral military action. “I made very clear to him, and he agreed as well, that we need to make the security mechanism work,” he told reporters.
“Any uncoordinated military operation by Turkey would be of grave concern as it would undermine our shared interest of a secure northeast Syria and the enduring defeat of ISIS,” said Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, over the weekend.
But Trump, who abruptly ordered all U.S. troops out of Syria last December and only reluctantly agreed to maintain a troop presence to prevent the slaughter of the Kurds, now argues the Turkish offensive will take the problem off his hands.
And he faults France, Germany, and other European nations for refusing to take back captured ISIS fighters from their countries, which he says is forcing his hand.
“The United States will not hold them for what could be many years and great cost to the United States taxpayer,” the White House statement said. “Turkey will now be responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area captured over the past two years in the wake of the defeat of the territorial ‘Caliphate’ by the United States.”
Trump’s original order prompted the resignation of several officials including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and former special envoy Brett McGurk, who argued against the precipitous move. McGurk blasted the decision, which he said “demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of anything happening on the ground.”
“The ‘United States’ is not holding any ISIS detainees. They are all being held by the SDF, which Trump just served up to Turkey.” McGurk tweeted. “Turkey has neither the intent, desire, nor capacity to manage 60k detainees in al-Hawl camp, which State and DoD IGs warn is the nucleus for a resurgent ISIS.”
“Donald Trump is not a Commander-in-Chief. He makes impulsive decisions with no knowledge or deliberation. He sends military personnel into harm’s way with no backing. He blusters and then leaves our allies exposed when adversaries call his bluff or he confronts a hard phone call,” McGurk said.
“Allowing Turkey to move into Northern Syria is one of the most destabilizing moves we can do in the Middle East,” tweeted Arizona Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego, a former Marine who served in Iraq. “The Kurds will never trust America again. They will look for new alliances or Independence to protect themselves.”
