After issuing the idea of a general withdrawal of US forces, which would have left the Kurds alone against Turkey, the US president was forced, under the pressure of Republican elected officials, to qualify his remarks.
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Order, counter-order? Washington has rocked with statements by Donald Trump and his advisers on Syria on Monday (October 7th). The president of the United States has managed a rare feat: that of unanimity against him, especially in the Republican ranks.
All part of a statement from his spokesman released Sunday evening shortly before midnight. Stephanie Grisham reports on a telephone conversation between Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Turkey will soon start its planned operation in northern Syria. The United States Armed Forces will neither support nor participate in the operation and US forces, after defeating the United States "caliphate" territorial of the Islamic State (EI), will no longer be in the immediate vicinity, " announces the spokesperson.
As special forces actually start to withdraw from two border towns, Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain, in the part of the country controlled by the Kurdish allies of the United States, Washington awakens in amazement.
On his Twitter account, Donald Trump supports the idea of a general withdrawal of the thousand American soldiers deployed in the area. In particular, they protect the Kurdish forces that took the main part of the battle against the IS, which Ankara assimilated to terrorist groups because of their links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Let the Kurds do their thing
For months, Washington has been trying to set up an interposition mechanism to prevent a direct confrontation between Turks and Kurds. But in a statement, the US president has just drawn a line on these efforts.
"The United States was supposed to stay in Syria for thirty days, that was many years ago. We stayed and we sank deeper and deeper into the battle without a goal, " he wrote before ensuring that "The Kurds fought with us, but received huge sums of money and equipment to do it." The implication is clear: the two sides are quit, that the Kurds are doing their best.
"They have been fighting Turkey for decades," continues the president of the United States, fatalistic. " I retained (the clash between Kurds and Turks) for almost three years, but it's time for us to get out of these ridiculous endless wars, many of which are tribal, and bring our soldiers home, " he repeats as in December 2018 when he announced to everyone's surprise a withdrawal finally pushed back, already, with a phone call with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Donald Trump also strongly criticizes his European allies, always ready according to him to exploit the United States.
