U.S. forces set to withdraw further in Syria, Esper says

Source: NBC

U.S. forces are preparing to withdraw further from northern Syria, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday.

The U.S. is "preparing to evacuate" about 1,000 troops from the area "as safely and quickly as possible," Esper told CBS' "Face the Nation," according to an excerpt of an interview set to air Sunday.

Esper said that the conflict between Turkish forces and U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters had become "untenable" for the U.S. military.

Turkey invaded northeastern Syria Wednesday after U.S. troops first pulled back from the area to clear the way for Turkish forces.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/trump-orders-u-s-forces-withdraw-further-syria-esper-says-n1065516?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

Urgent: US official - the situation on the ground is deteriorating rapidly in Syria. Extremist...

Only four days into Turkish attack and one week after POTUS-Erdogan call:

Hunter Biden Steps Down from Chinese Board Amid Trump Attacks

Hunter Biden is stepping down from the board of a Chinese-backed private equity company and promising to forego all foreign work if his father, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, is elected president in 2020.

After months of keeping a relatively low-profile as President Donald Trump leveled a barrage of unsubstantiated accusations of corruption at him, the younger Biden is publicly vowing to avoid any conflict of interest.

According to a statement released on his behalf by his lawyer George Mesires, Biden said he’ll resign at the end of the month from the management company of a private equity fund that’s backed by Chinese state-owned entities. He also pledged that he wouldn’t work for any foreign-owned companies or serve on their boards during a potential Biden administration. He reiterated that he never discussed his business activities with his father.
Hunter and Joe Biden

“Hunter always understood that his father would be guided, entirely and unequivocally, by established U.S. policy, regardless of its effects on Hunter’s professional interests,” the statement said. “He never anticipated the barrage of false charges against both him and his father by the President of the United States.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-13/hunter-biden-steps-down-from-chinese-board-in-bid-to-fight-back?srnd=premium

Trump Releases $50 Million in Aid to Syria After U.S. Troop Withdrawal

Source: The Daily Beast

President Trump has released $50 million in aid to Syria to “protect persecuted ethnic and religious minorities, and advance human rights,” according a statement issued by the White House on Saturday. “This funding will provide emergency financial assistance to Syrian human rights defenders, civil society organizations, and reconciliation efforts directly supporting ethnic and religious minority victims of the conflict,” reads the statement, issued just days after Trump withdrew American troops from northern Syria, leaving Kurdish allies in the region unprotected from an incoming Turkish attack. The withdrawal has reportedly put U.S. troops stationed in Syria in a holding pattern, leaving the Kurds to defend themselves against Turkey, a NATO member, and manage thousands of captured ISIS fighters. “We hope regional and international partners will continue their contributions as well,” reads the Saturday statement. “Ensuring the freedom and safety of ethnic and religious minorities remains a top priority for this Administration.”

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-releases-dollar50-million-in-aid-to-syria-after-us-troop-withdrawal

Emotional interaction of a Kurdish woman from Kobane with American soldiers

Good God this is adorable

Serious q, how does the WH justify rewarding Erdogan with a visit next month?

Kurdish-led SDF Forces in Syria: ISIS Prisoners No Longer 'Our Responsibility' as Five Escape and Th

Source: Newsweek

Prisoners of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) held in Kurdish-controlled areas of north-eastern Syria are no longer the responsibility of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a spokesman for the group said.

SDF forces currently hold some 12,000 ISIS militants in their prisons following years of helping the U.S. in quashing the group's influence, but now that the U.S. has effectively withdrawn its support and allowed a Turkish incursion into their territory, the Kurdish-led group must focus its efforts on protecting its people and borders, head spokesman Mustafa Bali told Rudaw.

A further 90,000 women and children affiliated with ISIS fighters are also said to be held in detention centers in northern Syria.

"We are currently subject to a genocidal attack," Bali said.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/kurdish-sdf-forces-syria-isis-prisoners-no-longer-our-responsibility-1464792?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=NewsweekTwitter

These kids need to be held accountable for this! This is not ok! 💔(GRAPHIC)