The US will support Turkey’s protection of Syria in the words of US Secretary of Defense Mike Pompeo. „The importance of ensuring that the Turks do not slaughter the Kurds, the protection of religious minorities there in Syria. All these things continue to be part of the ongoing US operation, „Pompeo told the conservative website Newsmax yesterday.
President Donald Trump had surprised his allies with the announcement before Christmas that they would immediately withdraw all US troops from Syria as the fight against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist militia had been won. His defense minister James Mattis then submitted his resignation, numerous US politicians and US women politicians criticized Trump’s decision. Western allies and the Syrian Kurds were alarmed.
Erdogan threatens with offensive
Experts had warned that an immediate withdrawal from Syria could lead to a resurgence of the IS militia and leave the field to Iran and Russia in Syria. In particular, it was feared that the Syrian Kurds without US support would be vulnerable to an attack by Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatens for weeks with a new offensive in northern Syria.
Turkey has always been a thorn in the side of US support for the Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG). It considers the presence of the Kurdish militia on its border as a threat, as it is closely linked to the Kurdistan Workers‘ Party (PKK), which has been fighting against the Turkish state for decades. In any case, Turkey wants to prevent the Kurds from gaining autonomy in Syria.
