US gives green light to Turkey military operation in northeast Syria
Rahshan Saglam
Press TV, Istanbul
US troops started withdrawing Monday morning from their observation posts in northeast Syria. The troop withdrawal came after a late night phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his American counterpart Donald Trump.
Erdogan told Trump that Turkey will no longer accept threats of what he called terrorist organizations, referring to US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia, known as the YPG. The Kurdish militants called the surprise US withdrawal a stab in the back.
Turkey has long been planning the military incursion into Syria to push back the Kurdish militants and create a so-called safe zone.
Hours after the two presidents’ phone call, the white house announced in a statement that the US will neither support nor get involved in Turkey’s military operation, claiming that Daesh had already been defeated and there is no need for its presence in the area.
Meanwhile, the United Nations warned against Turkey’s military operation and creation of a safe zone in northeast Syria, saying the UN has seen a bitter history of such zones. Turkish Analysts also warned of consequences of the US withdrawal, one of which the weapons and ammunition that are still in the hands of the Kurdish militants.
Observers question whether the US will allow Kurds to use those arms against Turkey or not. Turkey claims it has two aims from this long-awaited military operation, the main one is to secure its borders, and the second is to create a militant-free safe zone along the border to allow the safe return of Syrian refugees.
US troop withdrawal gave Turkey the green light to launch its long-awaited military operation, however the future of the area is still at risk with Kurds having advanced weapons and willing to fight Turkish military.
Some analysts also warned the Turkey operation will lead to the return of the Daesh terrorists to the Kurdish militant-free areas in northeast Syria.
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