WASHINGTON — The White House said Sunday that U.S. troops in northeast Syria will move aside and clear the way for an expected Turkish assault.
This move essentially abandoning Kurdish fighters who fought alongside American forces in the yearslong battle to defeat Islamic State militants.
U.S. troops "will not support or be involved in the operation" and "will no longer be in the immediate area," in northern Syria, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in an unusual late-Sunday statement that was silent on the fate of the Kurds.
There are about 1,000 U.S. troops in northern Syria, and a senior U.S. official said they will pull back from the area — and potentially depart the country entirely should widespread fighting break out between Turkish and Kurdish forces.
Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement on President Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops from northern Syria:
“President Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops from Syria’s border with Turkey and abandon the Kurds is a betrayal of a key partner in our fight against ISIS. Now they are on their own — facing threats from the Syrian government, Turkey, Russia, and ISIS remnants. And Trump took this step against the advice of our diplomats and military leaders. He didn’t even notify the Kurds, our allies, or Congress. The Trump Doctrine continues—abandon allies and embolden adversaries. The Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees need to call DOD and State Department witnesses to come before Congress and explain this immediately.”
Key Republican leaders in Congress appeared taken aback by the move.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Monday in an appearance on "Fox & Friends" that he had not spoken with Trump about the decision and had concerns.
"I want to make sure we keep our word for those who fight with us and help us," he said, adding that, "If you make a commitment and somebody is fighting with you. America should keep their word."
13News Now spoke with Old Dominion University Political Science Senior Lecturer Aaron Karp about his opinions on the move to remove troops.
"This is the most extraordinary shock to U.S. foreign policy since the beginning of the Trump administration, bar none,” said Karp. "For anyone who depends on the United States for support aboard, this is very frightening. The Kurds have stood by the United States since 2003. We've stood by them. So this is very much the event many people have been dreading for a very long time."
Karp said the void the U.S. leaves behind could cause a resurgence of ISIS.
"One of the great lessons in international politics is of you pretend a problem has gone away, it's going to come back,” he said. “It's going to come back in a big way."