Trump pulls troops from northern Syria as Turkey readies offensive

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

The United States began withdrawing American troops from Syria’s border with Turkey early Monday, in the clearest sign yet that the Trump administration was washing its hands of an explosive situation between the Turkish military and U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters.

President Trump, in a series of messages on Twitter Monday, suggested that the United States was shouldering too much of the burden — and the cost — of fighting the Islamic State militant group. He chided European states for not repatriating citizens who had joined ISIS, as well as his own Kurdish allies, who he said were “paid massive amounts of money and equipment” to fight the militants. “It is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN,” he tweeted.

The withdrawal followed a late Sunday statement by the White House that the United States would not intervene in a long-threatened Turkish offensive into northern Syria. The announcement, which signaled an abrupt end to a months-long American effort to broker peace between two important allies, came after a call between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan said in a speech Monday that the withdrawal began soon after their phone call.

A U.S. official confirmed to The Washington Post that American troops left observation posts in the border villages of Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ayn at 6:30 a.m. local time.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-to-pull-troops-from-northern-syria-as-turkey-readies-offensive/2019/10/07/a965e466-e8b3-11e9-bafb-da248f8d5734_story.html

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Am guessing that Erdogan has successfully manufactured some dirt against Biden (and/or other Democrats) in exchange for this "gift".

[Botany]

1. Erdogan said in a speech Monday that the withdrawal began soon after their phone call.

And so now the Kurds will be slaughtered by the Turks.

[Cicada]

2. Trump gets a million a year from Istanbul so he supports Turkey

No one in the US military establishment supports this change in policy. But Trump gets a royalty for the use of his name for Trump Towers in Istanbul. One million per year. Erdogan can stop that money in a minute. So Trump has one million good reasons to change US policy.

[gab13by13]

4. Yeah the tower plays a role but

Syria is all about oil and gas pipelines. Putin is running this show, he wants Assad in total control of Syria, which translates to Putin being in control of Syria. Trump's Sunni friends aren't going to like this, especially the Qataris who just discovered a huge deposit of natural gas and Assad won't allow a pipeline through Syria.

[Nevermypresident]

7. Yes, all roads lead to Putin.

[Newest Reality]

3. As we know...

The mob has to look out for its own, specific interests. People and countries can be inconvenient and get in the way.

This is just doing business. As long as people stay loyal to "the Boss" the fix is in.

[lark]

5. He's a murderer for profit.

He is the lowest of the low. Besides for the Kurds who will be indiscriminately slaughtered by the Turks, there's also 2500 Isis fighters, over 1000 from Europe, thT DRUMPF is leaving for Turkey to handle. Turkey approves of them, has not fought against them any. I'd bet big dollars they will be released (and drumpf demanded this) and let go back to Europe and bomb, bomb, bomb away. drumpf/PUtin will be so thrilled with the destruction he's caused, which he will immediately deny and lie about. That's what I think will happen, thousands die to cover up his and his benefactors murderous and anti-democratic acts.

[Nevermypresident]

6. What a sickening betrayal of the Kurds who we relied on in the Iraq War and fighting ISIS.

All those deaths of the Kurds fighting alongside us and the Ukrainian ones that our asshole in chief spit on, I hope there is a thing called karma.

[Iliyah]

8. Kurds will be

slaughtered and the United States of America national security will be damaged. What country in their right mind would trust us?

[inwiththenew]

9. There was no scenario where the Kurd didn't get rolled

It was only a matter of time unless we stayed there indefinitely. There is no way that Syria, Turkey, Iraq/Iran would allow the Kurds to carve out their own state.

[MFGsunny]

10. Another day, the same MF45 throwing our national security in the shitzitter ...

.... for his own grifting gains rather than the interests of OUR country and OUR people.

[bluestarone]

11. Any chance someone will step in?

To fill our boots? I doubt it but hope for it! SO FUCKING WRONG!!

[christx30]

17. What do you propose?

We’ve been there 20 years. Should we be there forever? And Turkey is a NATO ally. Do we fight them? That’d be like going to war against Britain and France. Kick them out of NATO? Are there provisions for doing that? How much American blood and treasure should we spend in the Middle East?
That area of the world has been fighting itself since 1000 years before the US even existed. And they are going to keep fighting long after you and I are gone. 200 years from now, the Great Kurdish Empire may destroy the last remaining Turkish And Iraqi forces and force a surrender.
No reason the US needs to be involved with any of it.

[Gothmog]

12. trump has betrayd the Kurds

Link to tweet

[Polybius]

13. I'll be the one guy in this thread who agrees

I know Trump likely did it for the wrong reasons, but I'm the type of person that cares about the end results more that the reason. US troops never should have been there in the first place.

If this was four years ago, we'd all be agreeing.

Edit: Neo-con Lindsey Graham is furious about this. I rest my case.

[FakeNoose]

14. There are 25 million Kurds in the Middle East

Many of the Kurds are living in Turkey now, as well as Syria, Iraq and Iran. Is Erdogan planning to kill them all? If so he must be mad. Our troops in northern Syria (even if they remain) may not be able to save the Kurds if Erdogan moves to full ethnic cleansing. Looking at this map, the Syrian settlement is the smallest area where Kurds are currently living.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. That whole area

was traditionally (supposedly) Kurdistan. Just like you see happening with Kashmir, the Basques, and so many other groups that got their "ancestral lands" redrawn over centuries of wars.

I think the issue here is that with the withdrawal from Syria, it is a "signal" (greenlight) for Turkey to do whatever it wants with any of them, whether within Turkey or across various borders (e.g., Iraq). This is why the NATO folks are suddenly panicking and considering options.

[FakeNoose]

18. Erdogan would be murdering 20% of his population

Is that even possible? If he thinks he can do it, he must be insane.

[BumRushDaShow]

19. "Is that even possible?"

Now you know I'm not even gonna reference the "H" word here...

But I expect that what may happen is that the road to "ethnic cleansing" might start ratcheting up by encouraging "nationalism" and crap like "Turkey for Turks!!111!!!" and other nonsense. Ethnic minorities worldwide, including right here in the U.S., are continually under assault during those cycles of "nationalism".

You might recall a couple years ago, this incident right there in D.C. - https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/01/trump-stands-by-while-erdogan-orders-attack-protesters/580093/

What will also happen is that the protests will start increasing and more like that video is going to happen, both here, there, and many other places.

[BlueIdaho]

16. Siding with a dictator?

Not surprising.

[DesertRat]

20. Kick