QAMISHLI: US forces in Syria started pulling back on Monday from Turkish border areas, opening the way for Ankara’s long-planned operation into northern Syria and heightening fears of a IS resurgence.
The withdrawal from key positions along Syria’s northern border came after the White House said it would step aside to allow for a Turkish operation President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said could come at any moment.
“It is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home,” US President Donald Trump wrote in a series of tweets on Monday.
The move marks a major shift in US policy, and effectively abandons the Kurds, who were Washington’s main ally in the years-old battle against the so-called IS group.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish militia that controls much of northeastern Syria, said early on Monday in a statement that “US forces withdrew from the border areas with Turkey”.
Turkey has sent reinforcements to the border in recent weeks, and Erdogan said Monday in televised remarks the long-threatened offensive could “come any night without warning”.
His comments came after Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter that Turkey was “determined to ensure our country’s existence and security by clearing terrorists from this region”.
‘At all costs’
“The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation, and United States forces, having defeated the IS, will no longer be in the immediate area,” the White House said.
Ankara says it wants to urgently establish a “safe zone” on the other side of the border in which to send back some of the 3.6 million refugees who fled the eight-year war in Syria and live on Turkish soil.
But the Kurds argue that Turkey’s goal is to weaken the Kurdish presence in the region by modifying the demographics of the area with the return of refugees.
The SDF, which has repeatedly complained that Trump’s declared intention to pull out of Syria was a historic betrayal, warned of the risks that a Turkish invasion would carry for the region.
The organisation, which spearheaded — with backing from the US-led coalition — several of the most significant battles against IS over the past five years, vowed to resist any Turkish attack.
“As the Syrian Democratic Forces, we are determined to defend our land at all costs,” it said.
It said in a statement Monday that a Turkish offensive would reverse the military gains achieved against IS at great human cost and allow for the IS group’s surviving leaders to come out of hiding. — AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
