Tag Archives: Syria

NBC News reports: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will refuse to meet with Vice President Mike Pence, who is due to travel to Turkey to argue for a ceasefire in the ongoing Syria conflict. “I’m not going to talk to them. They will be talking to their counterparts. When Trump comes here, I’ll be talking,” he said …

The Associated Press reports: Russia moved to fill the void left by the United States in northern Syria, deploying troops Tuesday to keep apart advancing Syrian government and Turkish forces. At the same time, tensions grew within NATO as Turkey defied growing condemnation from its Western allies of its invasion across the border. Now in its seventh day, Turkey’s offensive …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump on Monday said he would implement sanctions on Turkey following bipartisan backlash over his decision to greenlight the country’s incursion into northern Syria. The president said in a statement that the U.S. will target government officials in Ankara and “any persons contributing to Turkey’s destabilizing actions in northeast Syria.” The sanctions include an increase …

Politico reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham signaled on Sunday that President Donald Trump’s partnering with Congress to stop Turkish aggression in Syria would be “a game changer.”  “I applaud his decision to work with Congress to stop Turkeys [sic] aggression in Syria through crippling economic sanctions,” he tweeted, saying he had spoken to the president. “This decision by President Trump will …

CBS News reports: The U.S. is “preparing to evacuate” about 1,000 U.S. troops from northern Syria “as safely and quickly as possible,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper told “Face the Nation” in an interview Sunday. The move comes a week after President Trump announced the repositioning of several dozen American troops embedded with Kurdish forces in northern Syria, opening the door …

The Associated Press reports: Turkish forces approached a key Kurdish-held town in northern Syria on Sunday, setting off clashes that allowed hundreds of Islamic State supporters to escape from a camp for displaced people and prompted U.S. soldiers to withdraw from a nearby base. A U.S. military official said the situation across northeastern Syria was “deteriorating rapidly” and that American …

The Military Times reports: American troops and former U.S. officials believe a Turkish artillery strike on Friday that landed about 300 meters from a U.S. commando outpost near the Syrian city of Kobani was done deliberately. No U.S. troops were injured in the strike, but U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said American commandos temporarily withdrew from their observation post on Mishtanur …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump has given his administration broad authority to slap sanctions on Turkey, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday. Trump signed an executive order authorizing the powers, though the administration will not move yet to punish Turkish individuals or entities after the country’s offensive in northern Syria. Still, Mnuchin threatened devastating actions in the wake of …

Via press release from the Pentagon: Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar spoke by phone where they discussed the situation in northeast Syria. Secretary Esper made it clear that the United States opposes Turkey’s uncoordinated actions as they place at risk the progress made by the Defeat-ISIS Coalition. While the Secretary reaffirmed …

Reuters reports: The president of Turkey has threatened to “open the doors” and send three million refugees to Europe if the European Union condemns his invasion of Syria as an occupation. The military operation has been condemned by governments around the world. Responding to the condemnation from Europe on Thursday, Erdogan said in a speech: “We will open the gates …

The Washington Post reports: Turkey’s military operation in Syria has begun just three days after President Trump ordered U.S. troops to withdraw from the area. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the beginning of the operation Wednesday morning, saying he was going to “eliminate the threat of terrorism” from his country. There were immediate reports of Turkish airstrikes in the …

The Associated Press reports: Warning of a “humanitarian catastrophe,” Syrian Kurdish forces who are allied with the United States issued a “general mobilization” call on Wednesday in northeastern Syria, along the border with Turkey, as Ankara threatened an imminent invasion of the area. The Turkish operation would ignite new fighting in the war-ravaged country’s eight-year-old war, potentially displacing hundreds of …

Axios reports: In an interview with Axios on Tuesday night, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) condemned President Trump in his harshest language yet for deciding to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, suggesting Trump is violating his oath of office by allowing Turkey to move in and attack the Kurds. Driving the news: Graham said Trump is making the biggest mistake …

The Associated Press reports: Turkey will not bow to threats over its Syria plans, the Turkish vice president said Tuesday in an apparent response to President Donald Trump’s warning to Ankara the previous day about the scope of its planned military incursion into northeastern Syria. Trump said earlier this week the United States would step aside for an expected Turkish …

Because of course he does: Senator Rand Paul appeared on Fox News today to express support for the president’s move. Neil Cavuto said, “A lot of people in your own party — Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney, Nikki Haley, and on and on and on — say this is a tragedy, it’s a bad move, it emboldens our enemies.” …

CBS News reports: A long list of Republicans — including several top allies of President Donald Trump — lined up in vehement opposition Monday to the president’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the northern border of Syria and allow a Turkish operation there. The announcement marked a major blow to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which the …

The Middle East Eye reports: When Recep Tayyip Erdogan ended his call with Donald Trump on Sunday, there was a sense of frustration in the Turkish capital and a feeling that Ankara’s concerns had not been properly considered. Just hours later those sentiments were reversed, as the White House released an explosive readout declaring its support for a Turkish assault …

“Ladies and gentlemen, I want to say right now that I’m absolutely appalled that the United States is going to betray those democratic forces in northern Syria. That we’re possibly going to allow the Turks to come in against the Kurds. Edogan is a thug. He has taken control of his country as a dictator. To say he is an …

The Washington Post reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell publicly rebuked President Trump’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops from northeast Syria, saying that a supermajority in the Senate disagreed with the president’s abrupt announcement. “I urge the President to exercise American leadership to keep together our multinational coalition to defeat ISIS and prevent significant conflict between our NATO ally Turkey …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Monday defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria as Turkey plans to launch a military operation in the region, tweeting that he would “obliterate” Ankara’s economy if it acts in a way he deems inappropriate. The president, in a series of tweets, threatened to punish Turkey if it did anything “off limits” …