Turkey’s Attack on the Kurds
Syrian Rebels ride into the Syrian-Turkish border, backed by Turkey. On Oct. 9, Turkish Troops moved past the border into Syria.
Turkey has taken drastic actions with the use of airstrikes and artillery barrages against Syria. The attacks are aimed at Kurdish forces, that have, up until now, been reinforced by U.S. troops for the past several years. On Sunday, Oct. 6, U.S. troops abandoned their posts in Syria abiding by President Trump’s orders.
President Trump has called for the withdrawal of American Troops from Syria, not wanting to be involved in any violence, and instead taking no side in the conflict between the Turkish and the Kurdish.
Trump’s decision to retreat in Syria was sparked because he felt that too many American lives had been lost by protecting this region and that Syria was a designated “constant war zone”. The Kurdish forces view Trump’s decision as a stab in the back and refrain from mentioning the U.S in any of their recent media appearances.
Turkey’s actions are said to have been a result of a conversation between President Donald Trump and Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Turks claim Trump handed over leadership of the campaign against ISIS in Syria to Ankara” (The Guardian).
Although, the war also seems to inhibit an ongoing controversy between Syria and Turkey due to their history of disagreement over power dynamics, which causes them to have different interests. Plus, taking the situation to a level of higher complexity, America is an ally of both Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces, which makes it difficult to intervene.
Kurd soldier stands at high alert in order to protect his country. The Syrian border has been under high attack and has gathered the support of its’ militia.
At this point in time, Trump seems to be disregarding the current circumstances which have led to negative outbreaks.
“America’s attitude will create a negative impact on the whole region… this American decision will destroy all the advances, particularly with regards to security,” Amjed Osman, a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Council
Trump’s decision has been receiving criticism from both political parties and came as a surprise to many. “The American troop withdrawal came in stark contrast to his statements last year where he vowed to stand with the Kurds because of their assistance in the war against Islamic State Terrorism” (AP News). Kurdish troops were supplied with U.S. weaponry and supported by the U.S. while fighting ISIS.
Turkish Army Trucks begin to invade. The troops have been deployed in masses and the fight continues to thicken.
Now, the president has stated that it’s appropriate to leave the Kurds behind, noting that, “they didn’t help us in the Second World War, they didn’t help us in Normandy.”
When receiving word about the invasion from Erdogan, Trump made it clear that America is against the attacks, saying, “The United States does not endorse this attack and has made it clear to Turkey that this operation is a bad idea.”
“This loss of Syrian land will allow thousands of ISIS prisoners to be set free, allowing an almost destroyed Islamic State Group to rise back into power” (AP News).
Chris Kathman ◊ Oct 18, 2019 at 9:11 am
Thank you so much for your comment John! That really means a lot to us! As a publication, we plan to not only report on world and political news in an unbiased manner, we also love writing opinionated articles. (for both sides!) Opinion articles allow students to present their side of the story, and we hope to publish some amazing ones this year as well as the last years. We’re glad you guys are enjoying the unbiased fact-based reporting!
Tom ◊ Oct 17, 2019 at 9:22 am
What Trump has done is absolutely appalling. The Kurds have done so much to help us keep ISIS in check, and now we’re leaving them to fend for themselves against Turkey? I know they’re both US allies, but still… this is exactly what a bad president does: abandon America’s closest allies, and seek out an alliance with a major nemesis of the country he’s supposed to protect. Whoever the next president is, he/she will have his /her work cut out for him /her.
Sebastian ◊ Oct 15, 2019 at 12:37 pm
Some people believe that the Middle East’s use is only in its oil — but in a world where three geopolitical giants compete, there is no region where the influence of foreign powers plays no influence. If the US were to draw back from the Middle East, our position in the world is weaker. We no longer have leverage over Syria – albeit Turkey is a NATO ally. It is true that the Kurds are filling their own ends of achieving their own autonomy, but nevertheless, leaving an ally to die is really bad optics. We already see that the Kurds are becoming closely aligned with Russia – a true rival of the United States.
Geopolitics is why we give money and weapons to countries around the world – why we support countries that don’t always align with US interests.
Max Wiggins ◊ Oct 14, 2019 at 7:36 am
w for the sage not gonna lie
Darius Rahmanian ◊ Oct 13, 2019 at 8:17 pm
Ah yes Americ*n go die in a foreign war. Glumf is dumb, sure, but the quicker we get out of the Middle East the less American men have to die for oil thousands of miles away. Kurd forces are also known communists . Its not like the UN is going to do anything about it. So its either A) Turkey invades and starts a war with whatever forces are in Syria and American troops die in crossfire in a place where they have been promised to been pulled out of or B) Turkey invades(which is inevitable) and Americans don’t die. This isnt a Drumpf issue, this is an issue of not wasting American lives in a place we need to get out of. If you guys want to get drafted to fight an oil war for Israel go right ahead.
Nick Cepek ◊ Oct 10, 2019 at 12:34 pm
This article paints an accurate picture of what is occuring in Syria but I think that explaining who the Kurds are and why they are fighting would have given your article better context. The Kurds have no nation to protect, (although, they do have an autonomous region in Afghanistan) they are fighting for one of the many factions in the Syrian Civil War. They are a people group that has inhabited the Middle East (and to a lesser extent the Caucasus) for centuries. The Turks and Syrians have denied the Kurds citizenship for years. The Kurds believe that in winning the Syrian CIvil war they will be guaranteed rights and even possibly independence. The Kurds in Turkey have sought greater autonomy and even independence from Turkey for centuries, which is why the Turks wish to eliminate the Kurds in Syria.
Nick Cepek
Freshman Class Treasurer
Sebastian ◊ Oct 10, 2019 at 9:27 am
I apologize and rescind my comment over Trump’s support for the airstrikes.
Sebastian ◊ Oct 10, 2019 at 9:08 am
Although providing much evidence against Trump, this article only briefly states Trump’s opinion and reasoning for the matter. Trump has seen substantial, bipartisan opposition against his move to pull out US troops, there is a number of people who believe that Trump’s decision to get out of the Middle East’s neverending wars was a good decision. If the authors of this article wanted to change the minds of the conservatives and independents I hear on CSPAN’s morning program (Washington Journal), they cannot without providing the reasons for withdrawing. The article seems to suggest Trump supports Turkey’s airstrikes, but he has said himself that it was not a good move.
In my personal opinion, the United States should have reduced its military presence a long time ago. Though this decision was abrupt and not-well-planned, it is good to see a President making steps toward leaving the Middle East.
Andrew H ◊ Oct 10, 2019 at 9:01 am
“Didn’t help us in WW2” because they didn’t exist during World War 2? He couldn’t have thought of a better excuse?
Andrew Emde ◊ Oct 9, 2019 at 10:10 pm
Great article. The reporting on this is so good and it sounds like a New York times article. It would be cool to see news like this on the broadcasts as well. You were able to report the straight facts.
John Tucci ◊ Oct 9, 2019 at 10:05 pm
Great job Chris and Bella. You managed to report the news in n unbiased manner. Great job and I think people want to see more news articles like this.
Owen Miller ◊ Oct 9, 2019 at 9:32 pm
You honestly love to see the Sage reporting on real news as well.