Posted on 10/16/2019 9:31:20 AM PDT by robowombat
President Trump said Wednesday that Turkey’s offensive against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in northern Syria is “not our problem,” defending his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the region amid criticism.
"If Turkey goes into Syria, it is between Turkey and Syria. It’s not our problem,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
Trump also downplayed the U.S. alliance with the Kurds, calling them “no angels” and saying the U.S. “paid a lot of money” for the Syrian Kurdish forces to fight alongside U.S. troops against ISIS.
Trump’s remarks came as a U.S. delegation led by Vice President Mike Pence prepared to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara in an attempt to broker a ceasefire in the region.
“The Kurds are much safer right now, but the Kurds know how to fight, and as I said, they’re not angels. They’re not angels. You take a look… but they fought with us. We paid a lot of money for them to fight with us, and that’s OK,” Trump said Wednesday in the Oval Office.
"If Russia wants to get involved with Syria, that’s really up to them. They have a problem with Turkey. They have a problem at a border. It’s not our border, we shouldn’t be losing lives over it,” Trump said later.
Trump has faced tremendous blowback over his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria as Turkey prepared to launch a military operation at the border, including harsh criticism from some of his Republican allies.
Many critics have argued that Trump’s move effectively greenlit Ankara's operation and that the president abandoned Kurdish forces, a key U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS. Turkey has long viewed the Syrian Kurds as a terrorist group.
The decision has also raised concerns about the potential for large numbers of ISIS fighters detained in the region to be released, undoing much of the work by U.S. and other forces to contain the terror group.
Administration officials have rejected the notion that Trump’s decision to pull back troops paved the way for the Turkish operation.
Trump has continued to defend his decision, saying he wants to get the U.S. out of “endless wars.” On Monday, he also announced sanctions on Turkey.
Trump also asserted that the situation on the Turkish border with Syria was “strategically brilliant” for the United States, pointing to the fact that the Kurds had struck a deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for protection.
"So I view the situation on the Turkish border with Syria to be, for the United States, strategically brilliant. Our soldiers are out of there. Our soldiers are totally safe. They’ve got to work it out… Syria’s protecting the Kurds, that’s good. And by the way, every player hates ISIS,” Trump said.
Trump also at one point suggested that some ISIS fighters in the region had been released for “effect” to force the U.S. to return to the region.
Pence is traveling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump’s new national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, to Ankara to meet with Erdogan on Thursday in an attempt to broker a ceasefire in the region. The visit comes after Trump held a phone call with Erdogan earlier in the week.
“We’re watching and we’re negotiating and we’re trying to get Turkey to do the right thing,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
Tensions between Trump and Republicans showed signs of easing following the announcement of sanctions and the ceasefire efforts. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump ally who vocally criticized the pullback from northern Syria, has supported Trump’s efforts on sanctions and a potential ceasefire.
-- Updated at 12:09 p.m.
Actually, I think they're Simple whores.
He made the right decision, now we’ll have weeks and months of arm chair quarterbacking.
That context makes sense. So he planned to leave Afghanistan but that fell apart? Good point.
Well, the least bad guys.
He’s not.
A lot of folks here keep asking why Turkey is in NATO... I suggest for all of you asking this question... “Who let Turkey in to NATO and into Europe for that matter?” go and study some post WW2 history culminating with the “end” of the Cold War. It’s all there. Don’t be like my grandsons and expect someone like me to come along and have to tell you everything you’ll ever need to know... because that’s how DemoRATS and zombies come into being!
“Tell Turkey to get their troops on THEIR side of the border. Occupation is not a solution.” And yet, we’re removing our troops from Syria, where we’ve had them occupying space for how long now? Tell me again how many countries have U.S. troops deployed in them, how many “buffer zones” are manned by our forces, and what are the super-critical, tactical and strategic reasons for their being there? When it comes to “getting troops on their side of the border... we’re the biggest violators of all! The better question is this: “Who in the hell made us the world’s policeman?!?”
“Agree on Turkey and NATO. No way you form an alliance with a Muslim nation.” Again, see first paragraph. Without Turkey in NATO, we had no way to keep an eye on the Soviets via U2 overflights of Soviet territory, and more recently, there is no “guaranteed” control over the Dardanelles or Bosporus Straits. People, you need to get intellectually involved in your historical educations, participate in it, and quit being so emotional! Do the research... don’t believe every word you read or hear from the lying media!
Or try your best anyways to do the research.
Ya gotta quit feeding the trolls man.
The man is very clearly articulating a new world order.
And it’s an extension of US interests as perceived by US citizens. It recognizes borders, regions and boundaries.
And it assigns to each region the responsibility to “clean up their own property”.
I don’t think our troops will be in the line of fire. Nobody is going to take on Saudi Arabia directly, and this is just a gesture.
Yes, it’s good business - and in the national interest.
As Harry Truman said of a dictator (I don’t remember which one), “Yes, he’s a bast*rd, but he’s our bast*rd.” So while you can’t trust the Saudis as far as you can throw them, right now the current occupant of the throne there appears to be thinking it’s better to be on our side against Iran.
This could change instantly, of course, but I’m sure Trump knows that.
I love our President... #IstandwithTrump
Atta GO Mr. President!
O.K. If “it’s not our problem”, then why is it our concern, why the major sanctions on Turkey, due to their invasion of Syria?
Just sayin, the reasoning seems conflicted. It’s not “our problem” yet we still take actions as if it’s our problem. Which is it?
Good! We have no interests in Syria.
Let's be honest about why that is.
Oil. The U.S. economy does best with cheap energy prices. Like it or not, we still get oil from Saudi Arabia.
Let's produce even more from here and more from Canada, and then we can be more particular about a presence in the Middle East
He’s right.
His problem is, whatever he does, he’ll be castigated for it.
Because in dem world, he can do NOTHING right.
Don; I put it to you that we DO have a 'border' worth losing lives over; just not ours!
I believe Patton may have mentioned something about 'poor bastards'.
Serial killers in this country wipe out about 3,000 future American citizens a day!
Ain’t CHOICE grand!
Government has looted the American treasure using their military industrial corporations as they made back door deals and bribes with them assuring endless riches for the insiders, all while they sacrificed American blood and treasure.
Enough! Eff them!
We said the same thing about Adolf Hitler - until he declared war on us.
That’s what some little irritating squeaky voice is whispering in my ear right now.
But Trump is right!
We can’t prevent every possible calamity in every possible universe, and we shouldn’t waste blood and effort trying.
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