Donald Trump gives Turkey go-ahead to invade Northern Syria and take custody of ISIS fighters
DONALD Trump has given the go-ahead for Turkey to invade Northern Syria and take custody of ISIS fighters captured over the past two years. In a major shift in US military policy in Syria, the White House announced on Sunday that Trump had agreed to a Turkish military operation.
Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke over the phone before the announcementThe move was confirmed in an extraordinary statement following a call between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The US will remove all of its forces from the "immediate area" and will not be involved in the Turkish operation. It comes after repeated threats from President Erdogan to launch a military assault on the Kurdish forces in Northern Syria, many of whom his government considers terrorists. "Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria," the White House said. "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." It was not clear whether that meant the US would be withdrawing its 1,000 or so troops completely from northern Syria.The announcement has renewed fears of a mass slaughter of Kurdish fighters allied with the US in a years-long campaign against ISIS. Turkey considers the Kurdish fighters to be a terrorist group, and has long sought to end US support for the fighters. But the Kurdish group, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, has been America's most reliable partner in fighting ISIS in a strategic corner of northern Syria.Republicans and Democrats have previously warned that allowing the Turkish attack would send a troubling message to American allies across the globe.In December, Trump announced he was withdrawing American troops from Syria but was met with widespread condemnation for abandoning Kurdish allies to the Turkish assault. The announcement prompted the resignation in protest of then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and a coordinated effort by then-national security adviser John Bolton to try to protect the Kurds. The White House statement said Turkey will take custody of all ISIS fighters captured over the past two years that European powers have refused to take "The United States Government has pressed France, Germany, and other European nations, from which many captured ISIS fighters came, to take them back, but they did not want them and refused," the US said in its statement. "The United States will not hold them for what could be many years and great cost to the United States taxpayer." Ambassador James Jeffrey, the State Department envoy to the international coalition fighting ISIS, said there are about 2,500 captured ISIS fighters that the US wants Europe to take. Trump has repeatedly demanded that European countries, particularly France and Germany, take back their citizens who joined the militant organisation.
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