WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald J. Trump took a phone call with Turkey’s president last week, then pulled American troops out of neighboring Syria, leading to what appears to be a devastating invasion by the Turks against Kurds in Syria who fought to annihilate ISIS and a power vacuum quickly being filled by Syria, Russia and other players – perhaps ISIS itself, as terrorists flee prisons once guarded by Kurds.
The green light relayed to Turkey by President Trump on Sunday, October 6 during a phone call to Turkish President Erdogan to invade Syria and the startling domino effect that commenced due to the Turkish invasion of Northern Syria (dubbed “Operation Peace Spring”) has led even the staunchest right-wing politicians to declare an emergency. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said today:
“I am gravely concerned by recent events in Syria and by our nation’s apparent response thus far. Turkey is our NATO ally and has legitimate security concerns stemming from the conflict in Syria. But Turkey’s offensive against our Syrian Kurdish partners is jeopardizing years of hard-won progress in the fight against ISIS. For years, the United States and our Syrian Kurdish partners have fought heroically to corner ISIS and destroy its physical caliphate. Abandoning this fight now and withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria would re-create the very conditions that we have worked hard to destroy and invite the resurgence of ISIS. And such a withdrawal would also create a broader power vacuum in Syria that will be exploited by Iran and Russia, a catastrophic outcome for the United States’ strategic interests. Withdrawing American leadership from this pivotal region would not serve our nation’s short-, medium-, or long-term interests. It would only make a troubling situation much worse, not only for regional partners such as Israel and Jordan but for the United States as well. These are the reasons why I co-sponsored legislation earlier this year that warned against leaving Syria or Afghanistan prematurely. A bipartisan supermajority of senators supported it. I look forward to discussing what the United States can do to avoid a strategic calamity with my Senate colleagues and with senior administration officials when the Senate returns to Washington this week.”
Now, as the world backlash mounts in the wake of the catastrophe, the U.S. State Department is echoing Trump’s new call for possible sanctions against the U.S. NATO Ally, Turkey, to stop the invasion. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said today:
(state.gov/secretary)
“On Friday, the United States signaled its intent to take action in response to Turkey’s ongoing unilateral military offensive in northeast Syria. President Donald J. Trump has now signed an Executive Order to press Turkey to halt its military offensive against northeast Syria and adopt an immediate ceasefire. The Executive Order gives the Department of Treasury and the Department of State, the authority to consider and impose sanctions on individuals, entities, or associates of the Government of Turkey involved in actions that endanger civilians or lead to the further deterioration of peace, security, and stability in northeast Syria. Three senior Turkish officials, the Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry of Defense have been designated for sanctions under these authorities, concurrent with the signing of the Executive Order. As the President has made clear, Turkey’s actions in northeast Syria severely undermine the D-ISIS campaign, endanger civilians, and threaten the security of the entire region. If Turkey’s operation continues, it will exacerbate a growing and daunting humanitarian crisis, with potentially disastrous consequences. To avoid suffering further sanctions imposed under this new Executive Order Turkey must immediately cease its unilateral offensive in northeast Syria and return to a dialogue with the United States on security in northeast Syria.”
Videos of slaughter by the Turkish military against Kurdish people and others have circulated on social media since the invasion. Pundits and national security experts are saying that Russia, Syrian Strongman Assad, and other U.S. adversaries are lining up to fill the power vacuum left in Syria that just a small number of American troops held.
