Betrayal on the border: Kurds fear future as Turkish assault intensifies

Betrayal on the border: Kurds fear future as Turkish assault intensifies

In the Kurdish heartlands in Syria, the sense of abandonment at the withdrawal of US troops is palpable as Erdoğan’s forces claim early successes

Oct.12,2019

The lone road out of Ras al-Ayn was empty, except for one overladen lorry that slowly made its way along a lethal mile from war zone to exile. Shells thudded into buildings in the distance as Kurdish forces in vans prepared to race jets and sniper fire, trying to get to a battle that almost everyone else had left.
Those who remained in the border town at the frontline of the war for north-eastern Syria were there to fight; the Kurds rallying to defend it and the Arabs preparing to seize it from them. Early on Saturday, the Arab force, trained by Turkey, made its move. By the day’s end, the proxies claimed to have recaptured part of Ras al-Ayn, making good on Ankara’s threats to push Kurdish forces from one of their main enclaves.
Read more at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/12/kurds-fear-never-return-turkey-border-assault-syria

Over 130,000 people displaced by fighting in northeastern Syria: U.N.

October 13, 2019
More than 130,000 people have been displaced from rural areas around the northeast Syrian border towns of Tel Abyad and Ras al Ain as a result of fighting between Turkish-led forces and Kurdish militia, the United Nations said on Sunday.
In a statement, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said OCHA and other relief agencies estimated up to 400,000 civilians in the Syrian conflict zone may require aid and protection in the coming period.
Read more at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-turkey-un/over-130000-people-displaced-by-fighting-in-northeastern-syria-un-idUSKBN1WS04T

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Defense secretary: Trump orders withdrawal of remaining US troops from northern Syria

By Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr
Oct.13, 2019
President Donald Trump is ordering the remaining US forces out of northern Syria, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday, a development that has paralyzed the fight against ISIS and ceded US and Kurdish battlefield gains to Moscow and Damascus.
“We have American forces likely caught between two opposing, advancing armies and it’s a very untenable situation. I spoke with the President last night, after discussions with the rest of the national security team, and he directed that we begin a deliberate withdrawal of forces from northern Syria,” Esper said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Which is where most of our forces are.”
Read more at https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/13/politics/us-troops-syria-turkey/index.html

Mnuchin defends delay in sanctions against Turkey: ‘This is a complicated, developing situation’

Oct.13, 2019
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday defended a delay in imposing sanctions on Turkey, saying the Trump administration is ready to move forward “at a moment’s notice” over Ankara’s military action in northern Syria.
“You announced Friday that you now have the authority to impose sanctions on Turkey for what we’re seeing unfold,” host John Karl said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“Given that we’ve already seen — a hundred thousand people reportedly displaced, these ISIS prisoners out, set loose, execution of some of America’s Kurdish allies, what is the holdup? Why don’t you just impose these sanctions?” Karl asked.
Read more at https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/465566-mnuchin-defends-delay-in-sanctions-against-turkey-this-is-a