Why Trump’s Betrayal Of The Kurds In Syria Is Such A Big Deal
On the left: Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces gather after a training session at a firing range in northern Syria – May 21, 2016 (AP Photo/Robert Burns). On the right: President Donald Trump shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, May 16, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
It was October 17, 2017, almost two years ago. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) could be seen cheering in the streets of Raqqa, Syria. It was a powerful moment of celebration years in the making. The de facto capital of ISIS, where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had declared its caliphate, had fallen.
Among those in this US-coalition were Kurdish YPG forces, over ten thousand of which died in the fight against ISIS. Flash forward to this week and the President of the United States just left more of them to die at the hands of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
We’re building a community and want you to be part of it.
Late on Sunday, President Trump announced the spontaneous withdrawal of troops from Northern Syria and the abandonment of those Kurdish forces who helped us diminish ISIS. Trump did this after speaking to the authoritarian leader of Turkey, Erdoğan. This move not only blindsided Congress, our allies, and the Kurds themselves, the Pentagon was reportedly not consulted.
President Trump (who has business interests in Turkey) gave the green light for Erdoğan to launch the military campaign against the Kurds he’s long wanted. Erdoğan believes the Kurds to be terrorists and wants them to no longer be at the Northern Syrian border. The Kurds reacted with understandable outrage.
Syria Kurdish official told us, reacting to Trump’s overnight decision.
“The Americans are traitors. They have abandoned us to a Turkish massacre.
We can no longer fight against isis and have to defend ourselves. This could allow isis to return to the region.”— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) October 7, 2019
Given the imminent slaughter of the Kurds, this drew bipartisan backlash. Staunch Trump defender Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) led the pack with his appearance on Fox & Friends.
Lindsey Graham calls in to Fox & Friends & calls Trump’s decision to abandon the Kurds “impulsive.”
“I hope I’m making myself clear how shortsighted & irresponsible this decision is in my view,” he says. “This to me is just unnerving to its core.” pic.twitter.com/URH0DVA1bo
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 7, 2019
Widespread condemnation came from Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and more. Senator Graham even announced a bipartisan sanctions bill targeting Turkey. After this sharp Republican response, President Trump sent out one of his most unhinged tweets ever.
Looking to make a difference? Consider signing one of these petitions:As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve done before!). They must, with Europe and others, watch over…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2019
Before President Trump had the chance to backtrack, it was too late. Reports indicated Turkey’s assault on the Kurds had already begun, but the US denied them.
This is what the situation on the ground looks like:
This withdrawal is not only a betrayal of our closest allies in the battle against ISIS, it has wide-ranging geopolitical ramifications. Senator Graham outlined the most direct consequences of Trump’s decision in a concise manner:
* 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) October 7, 2019
How does this ensure an ISIS comeback? The SDF has about 10,000 ISIS prisoners in their custody. It’ll be quite hard to guard them when they’re fighting off Turkish forces. President Trump’s move to withdraw could directly give ISIS a second wind.
This move also plays directly into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hands, as well as Syrian Dictator Bashar Al Assad and Iran. President Trump has also once again eroded America’s credibility in an irreparable manner. The Kurds allowed America to combat ISIS in Syria without sizable troop commitments by allying with us. Who would trust the United States now?
The bipartisan condemnation should give you insight into how terrible this move truly was, but of course, Republicans also own this. This is an unmistakable tragedy directly green lit by the President of the United States and enabled by the Republican Party who has refused to hold him accountable for his corruption and unfitness for office.
Perhaps, President Trump just needs a pep talk with himself.
Trump in September 2018 has some words for Trump today:
“Don’t forget that’s their territory. We have to help them… Tens of thousands of Kurds died fighting ISIS. They died for us and with us and for themselves… but they’re great people…I don’t forget.pic.twitter.com/uIxYfxBKfl
— Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) October 7, 2019
Rantt Media is independently-owned and completely ad-free. If you like the work we do, sign up for our daily newsletter and join our community newsroom where you can talk news with our team and other like-minded individuals:
We’re building a community and want you to be part of it.
