Pentagon chief defends US withdrawal from northern Syria 

10:55 • 14.10.19
Event

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper defended President Trump's decision to withdraw US forces from northern Syria as Turkey continues to attack the Kurds, while Trump himself denounced getting involved in "endless wars" and talked up sanctions against Turkey, Fox News reported.

Turkey has moved further into Syria, attacking the Kurds and leaving civilians dead in the process, while the US is leaving Kurdish allies to fight for themselves.

"It gets worse by the hour," Esper said on "Fox News Sunday," saying that the US is urging Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to cease the aggression. Esper said the US finds itself in a tough situation, as both sides are allies.

"We didn’t sign up to fight Turkey, a longstanding NATO ally, on behalf of the SDF," Esper said, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Esper said that roughly 1,000 troops will be withdrawing from the north of the country. A US official told Fox News that forces will not be leaving the country altogether, but will be moving southward.

Esper also stated that the fighting "has its roots in conflict that goes back 200 years," a sentiment that was echoed by Trump himself Sunday morning.

"The Kurds and Turkey have been fighting for many years," Trump tweeted. "Turkey considers the PKK the worst terrorists of all. Others may want to come in and fight for one side or the other. Let them! We are monitoring the situation closely. Endless Wars!"

While the US is not getting involved militarily, Esper said the administration is "doing everything we can to get the Turks to stop this egregious behavior."

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