In a late afternoon announcement Monday, President Donald Trump declared he would sanction Turkey, a NATO ally of the U.S., for its attack on the Kurdish people in northeast Syria—an attack that took place after Trump greenlit the assault on October 7 by withdrawing American personnel from the area.
“Too little, too late,” tweeted Harvard’s Nicholas Burns. “None of this would have been necessary if Trump had kept our troops in place.”
Trump reportedly made the decision after a phone call with Turkish President Recep Erdoğan on October 6. By Monday, domestic political backlash was overwhelming and Trump offered up sanctions.
Promising to “swiftly destroy Turkey’s economy if Turkish leaders continue down this dangerous and destructive path,” Trump announced imminent sanctions that would address “Turkey’s destabilizing actions in northeast Syria.”
Turkish attacks on the Kurds in Syria have horrified the world since beginning last week. The assault has been by all accounts relentless and has resulted in a number of ISIS prisoners being set free from their prisons. Kurdish forces have been at the frontline of fighting the extremist group.
While the U.S. has withdrawn military personnel from the area, the answer isn’t to reintroduce soldiers, Khury Petersen-Smith wrote for In These Times.
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