Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
US, Turkey Agree on Turkish Cease-Fire with Syrian Kurds
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
October 17, 2019

Share

ANKARA, Turkey — The U.S. and Turkey agreed Thursday to a five-day cease-fire in the Turks’ attacks on Kurdish fighters in northern Syria to allow the Kurds to withdraw to roughly 20 miles away from the Turkish border. The arrangement appeared to be a significant embrace of Turkey’s position in the weeklong conflict.
After more than four hours of negotiations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the purpose of his high-level mission was to end the bloodshed caused by Turkey’s invasion of Syria. He remained silent on whether the agreement amounted to a second abandonment of America’s former Kurdish allies in the fight against the Islamic State.
Turkish troops and Turkish-backed Syrian fighters launched their offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria a week ago, two days after Trump suddenly announced he was withdrawing the U.S. from the area.

Trump: ‘Great Day for Civilization’

Pence and Secretary of State Mile Pompeo lauded the deal as a significant achievement, and Trump declared it “a great day for civilization.”
But the agreement essentially gives the Turks what they had sought to achieve with their military operation in the first place. After the Kurdish forces are cleared from the safe zone, Turkey has committed to a permanent cease-fire but is under no obligation to withdraw its troops. In addition, the deal gives Turkey relief from sanctions the administration had imposed and threatened to impose since the invasion began, meaning there will be no penalty for the operation.
Erdogan had stated on Wednesday that he would be undeterred by the sanctions. He said the fighting would end only if Kurdish fighters abandoned their weapons and retreated from positions near the Turkish border.

No Kurdish Participation in Negotiations

Kurdish forces were not party to the agreement, and it was not immediately clear whether they would comply. Before the talks, the Kurds indicated they would object to any agreement along the lines of what was announced by Pence. But Pence maintained that the U.S. had obtained “repeated assurances from them that they’ll be moving out.”
Ankara has long argued the Kurdish fighters are nothing more than an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has waged a guerrilla campaign inside Turkey since the 1980s and which Turkey, as well as the U.S. and European Union, designate as a terrorist organization.
Trump’s withdrawal of U.S. troops has been widely condemned, including by Republican officials not directly associated with his administration. Republicans and Democrats in the House, bitterly divided over the Trump impeachment inquiry, banded together Wednesday for an overwhelming 354-60 denunciation of the U.S. troop withdrawal.

Concerns About Revival of ISIS

Trump has denied that his action provided a “green light” for Turkey to move against the longtime U.S. battlefield partners or that he was opening the way for a revival of the Islamic State group and raising worldwide doubts about U.S. faithfulness to its allies.
The White House released a letter on Wednesday in which Trump warned Erdogan that the sanctions could destroy his economy and that the world “will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen. Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool!”
On Wednesday, Trump also spoke dismissively of the crisis, declaring the U.S. has no stake in defending Kurdish fighters who died by the thousands as America’s partners against Islamic State extremists. In fact, he suggested the Kurdish group might be a greater terror threat than IS, and he welcomed the efforts of Russia and the Syrian government to fill the void left after he ordered the removal of nearly all U.S. troops from Syria.
“Syria may have some help with Russia, and that’s fine,” Trump said. “They’ve got a lot of sand over there. So, there’s a lot of sand that they can play with.”
“Let them fight their own wars.”
While Erdogan heard global condemnation for his invasion, he also faced renewed nationalistic fervor at home, and any pathway to de-escalation likely needed to avoid embarrassing him domestically.

GOP Leaders Criticize U.S. Withdrawal

Trump did place some sanctions on Turkey for the offensive. But as Pence flew to Turkey, the president undercut his delegation’s negotiating stance, saying the U.S. had no business in the region — and not to worry about the Kurdish fighters.
“If Turkey goes onto Syria, that’s between Turkey and Syria, it’s not between Turkey and the United States,” Trump said.
Even Republicans bristled at his action.
It was the worst decision of his presidency, said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who meets often with the president and is one of his strongest and most important supporters in Congress.
“To those who think the Mideast doesn’t matter to America, remember 9/11 — we had that same attitude on 9/10/2001,” Graham said.

DON'T MISS

FEMA Worker Fired After Discriminating Against Trump Supporters in Hurricane Response

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Gains With Latinos Could Reshape American Politics. Democrats Are Struggling to Respond

DON'T MISS

Frustrated Americans Await the Economic Changes They Voted for With Trump

DON'T MISS

Actor Tony Todd, Known for His Role in the Movie ‘Candyman’ and Other Films, Dies at 69

DON'T MISS

Biden and Trump Will Meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House Says

DON'T MISS

Longtime Los Banos Leader Ahead in Controversial Race to Replace Incumbent Mayor

DON'T MISS

Wink, the Sweet One-Eyed Pup, Seeks a Forever Family

DON'T MISS

The Vance Walberg Era of Bulldog Basketball Begins With a Win Over Sac State

DON'T MISS

Millions Face Health Insurance Crisis as Trump Win Threatens ACA Subsidies

DON'T MISS

Newsom Uses a Stunt to Position Himself as a Leader of Anti-Trump Resistance

UP NEXT

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

UP NEXT

FBI Thwarts Iranian Murder-for-Hire Plan Targeting Donald Trump

UP NEXT

Israeli Soccer Fans Were Attacked in Amsterdam. The Violence Was Condemned as Antisemitic

UP NEXT

Middle East Latest: Israeli Defense Minister Officially Steps Down

UP NEXT

Wave of Racist Texts After Election Prompts FBI Scrutiny

UP NEXT

Americans Seek Fresh Start Abroad as Election Sparks Expat Interest

UP NEXT

Large Airstrikes Hit Beirut Suburbs as Israel Expands Northern Gaza Operations

UP NEXT

Putin Congratulates Trump on His Election Victory in His First Public Comments on the US Vote

UP NEXT

8-Hour Russian Drone Barrage Keeps Kyiv on Edge as War in Ukraine Nears 1,000 Days

UP NEXT

Cuba Left Reeling After Category 3 Hurricane Ravages Island and Knocks Out Power Grid

Actor Tony Todd, Known for His Role in the Movie ‘Candyman’ and Other Films, Dies at 69

4 hours ago

Biden and Trump Will Meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House Says

4 hours ago

Longtime Los Banos Leader Ahead in Controversial Race to Replace Incumbent Mayor

6 hours ago

Wink, the Sweet One-Eyed Pup, Seeks a Forever Family

10 hours ago

The Vance Walberg Era of Bulldog Basketball Begins With a Win Over Sac State

10 hours ago

Millions Face Health Insurance Crisis as Trump Win Threatens ACA Subsidies

13 hours ago

Newsom Uses a Stunt to Position Himself as a Leader of Anti-Trump Resistance

1 day ago

CA Legislature Sets Record for Women in Office and Could See Historic Gender Parity

1 day ago

Trump to Target Iran’s Oil Trade in Renewed ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign

1 day ago

Over 2,500 Central Unified Students Receive Spirit Sweaters at 20th Annual ‘Warm for Winter’

1 day ago

FEMA Worker Fired After Discriminating Against Trump Supporters in Hurricane Response

A Federal Emergency Management Agency worker has been fired after she directed workers helping hurricane survivors not to go to homes with y...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

FEMA Worker Fired After Discriminating Against Trump Supporters in Hurricane Response

3 hours ago

Trump’s Gains With Latinos Could Reshape American Politics. Democrats Are Struggling to Respond

3 hours ago

Frustrated Americans Await the Economic Changes They Voted for With Trump

4 hours ago

Actor Tony Todd, Known for His Role in the Movie ‘Candyman’ and Other Films, Dies at 69

4 hours ago

Biden and Trump Will Meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House Says

6 hours ago

Longtime Los Banos Leader Ahead in Controversial Race to Replace Incumbent Mayor

10 hours ago

Wink, the Sweet One-Eyed Pup, Seeks a Forever Family

10 hours ago

The Vance Walberg Era of Bulldog Basketball Begins With a Win Over Sac State

Search

Send this to a friend