Trump's Decision to Withdraw from Syria
It’s hard to put into words how thoughtless and horrifying Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria is. The Kurds were an invaluable partner in fighting ISIS in Syria and were so trusted by the US military, that the Kurds themselves called in US airstrikes. The Kurds did most of the ground fighting against ISIS and were a key part of limiting US military involvement in the region. Without any real reason, other than Turkey’s president saying he would invade northern Syria, Trump decided to pull the 1,000 US troops from Syria. It doesn’t make any sense. Turkey would never have invaded while US troops were on the ground. The US doesn’t gain anything from withdrawing, in fact, there is such a loss in strategic influence that had been fought for over the last several years and more importantly, such a loss in the lives of US allies. The rash decision also undermines trust in the US military because all our allies around the world are looking at the terrible way in which the Kurds were treated after risking their lives to support the US.
As a consequence of Trump's decision, nearly 200,000 Kurds, 75% of which are women and children, have been displaced by the Turkish invasion. There is good evidence that Turkish troops have committed war crimes including executing Kurdish civilians.
And as a result of the power vacuum left by the US, Russian and Syria have filled most of the territory that the US and the Kurds previously occupied. This elevates Russia’s standing in the region. And the ISIS prisoners that the Kurds were holding have been released as the Kurds fled the Turkish invasion.
This is just so sad. It’s a tragedy for the Kurds, it weakens US power and influence abroad, and literally, nothing has been gained. There is blood of US allies on Trump’s hands because he doesn’t have the patience or interest to understand what is going on in the world and instead makes ‘gut’ decisions. This is what happens when a Commander in Chief makes rash decisions.
The easiest way to learn more is to watch Jon Oliver but there is a lot of general reporting on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u_pZ-SgACk
Article on the 180,000 refugees displaced thus far by the invasion: https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/10/1049761
