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White House says Turkey will soon launch Syria operation

The White House on Sunday night said Turkey will soon be launching a military operation in northeastern Syria and that U.S. troops will no longer be "in the immediate area" when it happens.

"Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria. The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation, and United States forces, having defeated the ISIS territorial 'Caliphate,' will no longer be in the immediate area," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.

The announcement comes hours after President Trump held a phone call with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which the two reportedly discussed the conflict and agreed to a meeting in Washington in November.

More than 1,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed in northeastern Syria, where they work closely with the Kurdish YPG, which leads the Syrian Democratic Forces in the region. The Kurds have proven to be among Washington's most effective allies in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Erdogan has repeatedly expressed frustration with Washington's close alliance with the Kurds along his country's border with Syria, linking them to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is designated a terrorist organization in Turkey. Washington also labels the PKK a terrorist group, but not the YPG.

The U.S., in an effort to reduce tensions in the region, has been working on establishing a safe zone along the border. But the plans have faltered, and the Turkish president in recent days has warned that Ankara will soon be launching a military operation across the border, as soon as within the next couple of days.

Grisham in her Sunday statement added the U.S. will not be holding any more ISIS fighters, and that "Turkey will now be responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area captured over the past two years in the wake of the defeat of the territorial 'Caliphate' by the United States."

U.S European Command tweeted Saturday that Washington was working "to address Turkey’s legitimate security concerns."

The official Twitter account of the Syrian Democratic Forces responded on Sunday night saying it had fulfilled its commitment to the U.S. proposal for the "security mechanism" along the border.

"But Erdogan's threats are aimed to change the security mechanism into a mechanism of death, displace our people & change the stable & secure region into a zone of conflict and permanent war," the SDF tweeted, warning that a Turkish military invasion could erase gains made against ISIS and make Syria "a permanent conflict area."The White House on Sunday night said Turkey will soon be launching a military operation in northeastern Syria and that U.S. troops will no longer be "in the immediate area" when it happens.

"Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria. The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation, and United States forces, having defeated the ISIS territorial 'Caliphate,' will no longer be in the immediate area," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.

The announcement comes hours after President Trump held a phone call with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which the two reportedly discussed the conflict and agreed to a meeting in Washington in November.

More than 1,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed in northeastern Syria, where they work closely with the Kurdish YPG, which leads the Syrian Democratic Forces in the region. The Kurds have proven to be among Washington's most effective allies in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Erdogan has repeatedly expressed frustration with Washington's close alliance with the Kurds along his country's border with Syria, linking them to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is designated a terrorist organization in Turkey. Washington also labels the PKK a terrorist group, but not the YPG.

The U.S., in an effort to reduce tensions in the region, has been working on establishing a safe zone along the border. But the plans have faltered, and the Turkish president in recent days has warned that Ankara will soon be launching a military operation across the border, as soon as within the next couple of days.

Grisham in her Sunday statement added the U.S. will not be holding any more ISIS fighters, and that "Turkey will now be responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area captured over the past two years in the wake of the defeat of the territorial 'Caliphate' by the United States."

U.S European Command tweeted Saturday that Washington was working "to address Turkey’s legitimate security concerns."

The official Twitter account of the Syrian Democratic Forces responded on Sunday night saying it had fulfilled its commitment to the U.S. proposal for the "security mechanism" along the border.

"But Erdogan's threats are aimed to change the security mechanism into a mechanism of death, displace our people & change the stable & secure region into a zone of conflict and permanent war," the SDF tweeted, warning that a Turkish military invasion could erase gains made against ISIS and make Syria "a permanent conflict area."

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/46459...wont-be-present

Not sure what to make of this. It looks like Trump is knuckling under to Erdogan and abandoning the Kurds who will have to fight Turkey. Before Erdogan, Turkey was a key ally in the region, but Erdogan has changed that relationship.

Somebody who understands this area better, please explain what you think about this action. It looks to me like Trump just made us weaker again in the face of a dictator. Am I wrong? And I'm not looking for Trumpian spin.

I feel really bad for the Kurds, who were our day one, ride or die, now that trump is in charge.

Bush and Obama made sure to take care of them, but now trump might let Turkey continue their dumbass onslaught against the Kurds.

I would hope the US would continue pursuing a diplomatic solution, but this is trump we’re talking about so who am I Kidding?

Graham: White House decision on Turkey 'unnerving to its core'
Republican senator Lindsey Graham is enraged this morning, taking the rare step of challenging Donald Trump on Twitter and in a phone call to Fox News - the two direct lines to the president.

On Twitter, Graham outlined his opposition to the president’s decision to abandon US allies in northern Syria, the Kurds, and support a Turkish offensive in the area. Graham said the abrupt foreign policy change “ensures ISIS comeback,” “forces Kurds to align with Assad and Iran,” “destroys Turkey’s relationship with US congress” and “will be a stain on America’s honor for abandoning the Kurds.”

He also said if the plan goes forward, the Senate will ask for a reversal of the decision.


Lindsey Graham
✔
@LindseyGrahamSC
· 1h
Replying to @LindseyGrahamSC
* Ensures ISIS comeback.
* Forces Kurds to align with Assad and Iran.
* Destroys Turkey’s relationship with U.S. Congress.
* Will be a stain on America’s honor for abandoning the Kurds.


Lindsey Graham
✔
@LindseyGrahamSC
Also, if this plan goes forward will introduce Senate resolution opposing and asking for reversal of this decision. Expect it will receive strong bipartisan support.

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“If I’m an Isis fighter, I’ve got a second lease on life,” Graham told Fox News. “So to those who think ISIS has been defeated, you will soon see.”

“I like president Trump, I’ve tried to help him,” Graham said. “This to me is just unnerving to its core.”

link

Nikki Haley criticizes Trump's Syria withdrawal: Leaving allies to die 'is a big mistake'

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/46463...to-die-is-a-big

Graham and Haley are two big voices in the GOP.

They are not white european, it won't matter to his base.

Wow, looking like Trump crapped the bed with this one bad. Military types losing their minds over this, this morning. Many GOP calling him out too.

He's just nuts.

That’s insane. He’s a crazy person.

I can see how this will all work out. When the next time comes we need help from someone in a region of the world, nobody will step up to the plate now that we are about to abandon the Kurds.

They'll say it's because they hate America and want to kill us all while some of us will understand exactly why they won't step up to the plate. It's because they know that in the end we won't have their back.

this is utterly embarrassing.

McConnell warns Trump against withdrawing troops from Syria

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday warned President Trump against pulling U.S. forces out of key positions in Syria, arguing that it “would only benefit Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime,” which is responsible for thousands of civilian deaths.

McConnell in a statement reminded Trump that the Senate voted earlier this year, with overwhelming Republican support, in favor of a resolution expressing strong opposition to a military withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan.

“The conditions that produced that bipartisan vote still exist today. While the physical caliphate has been removed, ISIS and al Qaeda remain dangerous forces in Syria and the ongoing Syrian civil war poses significant security and humanitarian risks,” McConnell stated.

“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 and our local Syrian counterterrorism partners,” he added. “Major new conflict between Turkey and our partners in Syria would seriously risk damaging Turkey’s ties to the United States and causing greater isolation for Turkey on the world stage.”

“As we learned the hard way during the Obama Administration, American interests are best served by American leadership, not by retreat or withdrawal,” McConnell warned on Monday.

It’s a rare break between Trump and McConnell, who is up for reelection in 2020 and has centered his campaign strategy on portraying himself as an essential ally to the president in Washington.

But the disagreement over how to handle the U.S. military presence in Syria and Afghanistan has simmered for months.

The Senate voted 70 to 26 in February for a resolution McConnell authored warning against a precipitous withdrawal of forces from the region.

Only four Republicans voted against it: Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Mike Lee (Utah), Rand Paul (Ky.) and John Kennedy (La.).

The issue appeared to die down in recent months as the Senate focused instead on confirming Trump’s nominees, negotiating spending bills and responding to the impeachment push in the House.

It flared unexpectedly on Monday after the White House announced Sunday night Turkey would launch an offensive in northeastern Syria and U.S. troops would not be "in the immediate area" when it happens. The move drew immediate fire Monday from GOP lawmakers, who characterized it as a green light for Turkey to launch combat operations against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces, who have waged the brunt of the fighting against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Trump said that “Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to figure the situation out” and declared “it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home.”

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/464703-mcconnell-warns-trump-on-syria-withdrawal

Plays right into Putin's hand..Trump is legit crazy. There has to be some recourse to get him removed.. He legit said "in my great and unmatched wisdom" good god I'm embarrased for our country. Worst thing is...nothing the democrats are rolling through have a chance to beat him..

In Turkey Vs. Kurds Dispute, Trump Chooses The Side Where He Has A Condo Complex


The administration is letting Turkey move into northern Syria to wipe out the Kurds, who have long fought Islamic State terrorism alongside the U.S.

link


WASHINGTON ― Donald Trump’s abandonment of one of the United States’ strongest allies in the fight against Islamic State terrorists also happens to reward the authoritarian ruler of Turkey, where the U.S. president personally profits from the Trump Towers in Istanbul.

It is not known whether the residential and commercial complex has ever come up in the various private conversations between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since Trump took office. Seven years ago, Erdogan, then the country’s prime minister, attended the grand opening of the twin skyscraper project, and Trump’s elder daughter Ivanka praised him for doing so.

“Thank you Prime Minister Erdogan for joining us yesterday to celebrate the launch of #TrumpTowers Istanbul!” Ivanka Trump, now a top White House aide, wrote on April 12, 2012.

The White House announced late Sunday night, without consulting U.S. allies in Europe or members of Congress, that Trump had agreed in a phone call with Erdogan to let Turkey occupy a strip of northern Syria, which is currently controlled by ethnic Kurds. The Kurds, who in recent years have proven to be the United States’ most effective allies in the fight against ISIS terrorists, have a centuries-old dispute with Turkey over their right to self-rule.

Critics of the president said the announcement was exactly the sort of problem they have been highlighting since Trump announced his candidacy.

“We’ve warned for years that Trump’s decision to hold onto his business empire, particularly the properties in places like Turkey, would one day lead to a national security decision shrouded by his conflicts of interest,” said Jordan Libowitz, communications director for the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Trump promised during his campaign that he would separate himself from his family business, which holds licensing deals with Trump-branded hotels, golf courses and condominiums all over the world. He reneged on that pledge and continues to profit from the Trump Organization, the holding company that owns the various elements in Trump’s portfolio.

A financial disclosure that Trump filed in May claims he earned between $100,001 and $1 million from the Istanbul project in the past year, the same range he claimed for the previous year. In a June 2017 filing, Trump claimed he’d earned between $1 million and $5 million from the project in the preceding 12 months.

Exactly how much income the Istanbul project brings him, and how much of a tax write-off it generates, cannot be determined because Trump has refused to make his tax returns public, breaking with four decades of post-Watergate precedent.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Monday that Trump’s decision had nothing to do with the Trump Towers Istanbul building complex. “Of course not,” she said.

Whether the White House press office can reliably represent Trump’s statements or views, however, is unclear. On Aug. 15, for example, Grisham described as “inaccurate” a report that Trump was encouraging Israel to prohibit Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar, of Minnesota, and Rashida Tlaib, of Michigan, from entering that country. Within an hour, Trump tweeted: “It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tlaib to visit.”

Previously, Trump’s press office had denied that Trump knew about his former lawyer’s payment to a porn star to buy her silence about an affair she said he’d had with her. In fact, Trump had conspired with Michael Cohen to make the $130,000 payment, and then wrote checks from the White House to repay him.

The White House’s decision on Turkey this week has been criticized by the Kurds, by human rights groups and by Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Apart from the Istanbul project, Libowitz said Turkish officials, including the trade minister, the defense minister and the ambassador to the United States, have made 14 separate visits to Trump’s hotel a few blocks from the White House since his inauguration.

“We unfortunately have to ask how much he was influenced in this decision by his personal profits from Turkey,” Libowitz said.

Robert Weissman, president of the liberal group Public Citizen, said it’s impossible to know whether Trump was guided primarily by his personal interest in his Istanbul project ― or, alternatively, by pressure from Erdogan based on keeping secret details about the murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed by Saudi Arabian government assassins in Istanbul last year.

“But a potential slaughter is in the making, and the sad truth is that it may be due in substantial part to Trump wanting to protect his licensing fees,” Weissman said.

Well Dems are not the only party. Republicans need to stop supporting this nutjob crook. I really think he may be insane.

Turkey has already launch attacks against some Kurdish forces today after the WH announcement

He has killed people by screwing with Obama care. Now he will be killing others. He is insane. He needs to be stopped.

I disagree. And I do so with all sincerity. I mean it. I'm not playing politics or partisanship here.

His unfiltered mindset is on display with each and every tweet he drops. This isn't insanity we're seeing.
We have a host of other terms that are attached to behaviors/thought processes that present like this:

Senility.
Cognitive decline.
Early Stage Dementia.


Families all over this nation have watched their progenitors reach an age when responsibilities are taken from them. That point is usually reached within the family when the kids confiscate the car keys, and Grampy starts saying the kinds of things that we read in 45's daily tweets. The difference between private families and this family:

Private Grampy is susceptible to phone scams on his land line and emails from The Nigerian Prince.
Grampy45 has America's freakkin' nuclear codes.

Translation: His 'stream of consciousness' reveals a startling lack of consciousness- and a open book to CIA types from foreign countries that do not have America's best interests at heart.

That should scare the s# out of each and every one of us.

Trust the tweets.

They truly represent who he is, where he is, and what he's about to do next.
It's why he has never surprised me, and it's also why he's been played by every traditional American adversary since he walked into the room with no corners.

He's a 3rd rate confidence operator who conned his way into the worst case of "The Peter Principle" ever seen in American history. In over his head and drowning under a tsunami of controversy, scandal and gross ineptitude of administration, his every move forces his support system to play defense, as they are forced to expend 2/3 of their capital on daily damage control. They will never be able to competently execute substantive policy because 45 has no definitive world view he's willing to charge the wall for... which makes him a most useful tool for those who can find their way into his ear.

Half of what he's wanted to do is illegal, and the other half is operated by an executive infrastructure that was inept/insufficient/damaged/deficient from Day One.

I'm not sure what RedMAGACapz thought he was gonna be able to do, even if he was 1/2 the man he sold to them. So far, he's only been 1/10th, and they seem to be just fine with it.

He's screwed the farmers. China is sourcing from elsewhere now.
He's screwed the miners. 4 more companies have closed down since he took office, because his voters thought he could turn a battleship-sized economic system around like a speedboat.
He's screwed the Lordstown GM folks to whom he teased: "Don't sell your house."
And he screwed all those Ohio Valley employees who worked in support industries that relied upon anchors/hubs like Lordstown.

And it's not just here in Ohio. Remember that Carrier plant in Indiana? The one that was so prominently featured as one of Dolt45's early wins? He rat screwed them too.


And some still support him. Even as they or their kin lose jobs and join America's new"gig economy."

So I guess there's no reasoning with them.
What a big f'ng surprise.

I only needed to attend the county fair once, to see how The Game was run. Tons of my neighbors went to the fair every year.

They went to The Fair in November, 2016... and gave their futures to the 70+ year-old Carney Barker with the sprayed-orange fakeass tan, oversized floppy suit, mile-long tie, and the puddle-shallow line of patter.

Hire a clown/expect a circus.

He's not insane.
They are.
And now, they are a cult.
With access to the polls in 2020.

That shriveled prune of a charlatan thinks THIS is where trump loses God’s backing? Not the lies. The extra marital affairs. The more lies. The more affairs. The continued lies... NOT those things, but this? The fact that Pat thinks trump ever had God near him is laughable.

Turkey launches military assault in Syria as Kurdish fighters say warplanes are bombing region

A planned Turkish military operation in northern Syria has now begun, the country's president announced Wednesday, as Kurdish fighters say warplanes are already bombing civilian areas in the region.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted that the maneuvers being carried out against Syrian Kurdish forces – which Ankara considers terrorists allied with a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey – are part of Operation Peace Spring.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/turkey-syria-kurdish-troops-military-assault

"Operation Peace Spring" certainly has a nice ring to it.

What a disgustingly shameful black mark on America. Abandoning allies on the field of battle may seem like fun and games to those who never served, but this is as low as you get to the military minded. Trump is scum.

Not sure I support Trump's move here but I lack the facts.

I do believe those who still are serving and their families are glad to be getting out of that crap hole and coming home.

Coming home? You mean joining my military owned nephew in Saudi Arabia defending their oil.

They are also protecting Japan's and Europe's oil As well as China's oil. Luckily we are no longer dependent on Saudi oil.

Too bad we have so many people like you denying climate change and renewable energy. Had we been working on that rather than fighting it for the last generation, we wouldn't be fighting for oil anywhere anymore.

But we have people like you and those hanging onto the old ways while our troops are dying. Great work!

And people like you who were born in a field of dreams and today live in the clouds. Wake up!

People like you have decided to pollute the clouds so badly nobody can spend any time up there.

So, let me say this first: I don't like this move by the u.s.


But, I have to ask: Some on here gripe about the u.s. keeping troops overseas in hot spots. But, only since Trump was president. The mantra was "get our troops out".

Now, u.s. troops are out, and the mantra is "How terrible."

It seems what the military does or doesn't do that SOME like or don't like, is dependent on who the president is. Is that correct?





Get our troops out of harms way. Next day "can't believe our troops aren't in harm's way. Now, innocent civilians are being bombed and it's the U.S.'s fault."

Most people consider that circumstances vary from place to place. It's not a one size fits all mantra for every situation.

In this case the Kurds have been our only real allies in the region that helped us to defeat ISIS. Leaving them to be slaughtered is not a reasonable solution in response to that.

In many cases you can question and even object to why our troops are sent to a part of the globe. We can question the rational used as to why they were sent. Colin Powell tried to warn Bush about Iraq. He made it plain and simple.... “you break it, you own it”.

I'm one who can agree with war when needed and disagree with war when it's not needed. As such, I supported going into Afghanistan but objected to the invasion of Iraq.

Not all situations are created equal.

Sticking by our allies transcends presidents. These are people are fought with us since day one. They are practically family.

Well the air strikes didn't take long to start......

Republicans condemn Turkish assault on Kurds in wake of Trump's Syria decision

Republican members of Congress on Wednesday harshly condemned Turkey's ongoing military offensive against U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, which follows President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the area.

The big picture: Some of the most intense criticism of Trump's Syria decision, which cleared the way for Turkey to attack Kurdish fighters that they consider terrorists, has come from the president's closest allies in Congress. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) are drafting a bipartisan bill to sanction Turkey for attacking the primarily-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, which partnered with the U.S. in 2015 in the fight against ISIS.

What they're saying:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.): "Pray for our Kurdish allies who have been shamelessly abandoned by the Trump Administration. This move ensures the reemergence of ISIS. Will lead effort in Congress to make Erdogan pay a heavy price. I urge President Trump to change course while there is still time by going back to the safe zone concept that was working."

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.): "A Turkish military advance into Syria threatens to halt momentum against ISIS, directly assaults our SDF partners, and could give the likes of al-Qaeda and Iran new footholds in the region. Turkey should stop immediately and continue to work with the US to secure the region."

GOP House Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.): "News from Syria is sickening. Turkish troops preparing to invade Syria from the north, Russian-backed forces from the south, ISIS fighters attacking Raqqa. Impossible to understand why @realDonaldTrump is leaving America’s allies to be slaughtered and enabling the return of ISIS."

https://www.axios.com/turkey-syria-kurds...c7bf741760.html

Turkey launches military offensive in Syria

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/syria-turkey-military-offensive-dle-intl/index.html

Just more useless thoughts and prayers from the right. Time to IMPEACH the TRAITOR.

jc

dont be surprised if the GOP uses this issue to slowly start distancing themselves from Trump overall, essentially using this as a vehicle to claim that trump's behavior is divisive.

its gonna suck that they will use the deaths of our allies as a way to save face in domestic policy, such as an impeachment inquiry, and dont think for a second those in the middle east wont view it as such.

the damage has already been done. we've eroded our trust in the one true ally we had in that region. Erdogan has started the massacre, and the bloodshed is once again on american hands.

"The United States does not endorse this attack and has made it clear to Turkey that this operation is a bad idea," Trump said in a statement released by the White House. "Turkey has committed to protecting civilians, protecting religious minorities, including Christians, and ensuring no humanitarian crisis takes place—and we will hold them to this commitment."

like he held NK to not launching test missiles? lmfao nobody takes trump seriously on the world stage.

Once again you and your half truths.

NO LONG RANGE TEST MISSILES was the agreement and it still stands!

lemme know how that next love letter goes while NK does whatever they want.