Trump says Turkey's ceasefire in northern Syria now permanent, sanctions lifted

[webfact]

Trump says Turkey's ceasefire in northern Syria now permanent, sanctions lifted

By Steve Holland and Makini Brice

 

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a statement on the conflict in Syria with Vice President Mike Pence at his side in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday a ceasefire in northern Syria is now permanent and lifted sanctions on Turkey as a result, rejecting criticism of his decision to pull out U.S. troops that allowed Kurdish allies to come under attack.

 

In a White House speech, Trump described the truce as a "major breakthrough" negotiated by a team led by Vice President Mike Pence. Trump said he instructed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to rescind sanctions imposed on Turkey after it attacked the Kurds "unless something happens that we are not happy with".

 

"Countless lives are now being saved as a result of our negotiation with Turkey, an outcome reached without spilling one drop of American blood: no injuries, nobody shot, nobody killed," Trump said.

 

He said he may meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan soon.

 

The speech failed to blunt attacks from U.S. lawmakers over Trump's abrupt decision early this month to withdraw troops out of northeastern Syria to clear the way for the Turkish incursion. Congress was still working on a sanctions package of its own to punish Turkey for its cross-border offensive.

 

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that Turkey claims it is stopping combat and making a ceasefire in northern Syria permanent. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

 

Kurdish allies who helped the United States in its war against Islamic State militants felt abandoned by Trump, whose policy created an opening that Russia has capitalized on by moving forces into the area. The fate of Islamic State militants in Syrian Kurdish prisons also remained up in the air.

 

A senior Trump administration official, briefing reporters on a conference call, said while most ISIS (Islamic State) fighters remained under lock and key, it appeared that a small number had escaped from prisons. Turkey was responsible for rounding them up, he said.

"We're keeping a very close eye on the situation with the ISIS fighters," the official said.

 

The official also expressed wariness about Russia's movement of forces into the area as part of an agreement with Turkey.

 

There is no indication that Turkish forces have attacked local populations as feared by critics, the official said.

 

The controversy over Trump's Syria pullout has contributed to a climate of chaos in Washington, where Democrats are seeking to remove Trump from office through impeachment over his attempts to get Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden.

 

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer took to the Senate floor to excoriate Trump.

 

"Three weeks after first announcing the troop withdrawal, the president does not seem to have a clear strategy for securing the enduring defeat of ISIS and fixing the mess he’s created in Syria," said Schumer.

 

Trump continued his drumbeat of criticism of past U.S. efforts to keep American forces in the Middle East.

 

The United States will "let someone else fight over this long, bloodstained sand," he said.

 

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Makini Brice with additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Patricia Zengerle; Writing by Lisa Lambert and Steve Holland; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Sonya Hepinstall)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-10-24

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[Bluespunk]

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

Countless lives are now being saved as a result of our negotiation with Turkey, an outcome reached without spilling one drop of American blood: no injuries, nobody shot, nobody killed," Trump said.

Tell that to the Kurd allies you stabbed in the back. 

[Bluespunk]

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

We're keeping a very close eye on the situation with the ISIS fighters," the official said.

Yeah, sure you are. 

[legend49]

Just another lying distraction. The ceasefire never happened there was a small period of time the Turks called a " pause" to allow Kurds to leave the area..

[Tug]

I call bs Donald has property in turkey 

[J Town]

33 minutes ago, Tug said:

I call bs Donald has property in turkey 

And NUMEROUS business interests that can't help but color his judgement. That color is blood red and it's all over his hands now.

[Sir Swagman]

Of course Turkey would not engage in genocide, you can trust them ...oh wait! They have done exactly that before. 

trump’s property in Istanbul being at any risk is the obvious motivator for this. 

[Thailand]

Now claiming credit for a ceasefire brokered by Russia.

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

a ceasefire in northern Syria is now permanent

That is simply untrue.

• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said if Kurdish forces did not retreat, Syrian border guards and Russian military police would have to fall back. "And remaining Kurdish formations would then fall under the weight of the Turkish army," https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2019/10/23/world/europe/23reuters-syria-security.html

Unless the Turkish army is concerned about overweight Kurdish forces, expect a "wipe out" by deadly force by Turkey against Kurdish forces who try to remain in the Kurdish homeland that was previously sanctioned by Syria.

[Bundooman]

So,

Trump, personally betrays the Kurds and pulls out because of his business interests in Turkey

Turkey immediately invades and kills Kurds.

Trump pretends to be angry and belittles Erdgan who then turns to Putin.

Putin steps in to help Erdogan and now Russia occupies ex-militry bases.

Trump declares that he is the holy, righteous saviour of the Kurds and the Turks.

 

So Trump has betrayed the Kurds, Turkey and his fellow Americans. Russia now has a significant power base in Eastern Europe.

Well done that 'man'! the USA must be so proud!

The Putin tail is successfully wagging the dog named Trump!

 

[Mavideol]

the guy has no face to go live TV claiming a victory that he DIDN'T accomplish, he tried to make a big loss look like a win..... btw he never mention his friend Vlad in the speech, wonder why ???

during the roman empire all roads lead to Rome, during Trump government all roads lead to Vlad

[jollyhangmon]

5 hours ago, Tug said:

I call bs Donald has property in turkey 

 

Yeah but I doubt he knows where ... or where Turkey would be about to begin with, lol ...

I hear the very stable genius proposed a borderwall vs. Mexico for Colorado (!) as well ... double-lol ...

 

Last time I visited - admittedly some time ago, pre 9/11, so things might have changed meanwhile? - Colorado didn't have much of a border with Mechico but quite a bit with New Mexico which happens to be a US state, at least it was back in the day ...  

[DaddyWarbucks]

Like a modern day Gulliver, the Trump administration has been all but immobilized by the well-considered military challenges from Russia, Iran, and Turkey.

Responding to these encounters in haphazard, ill-considered fashion only highlights the persistent failure of this administration to use the policy making system to actually make policy, leaving the region not only a far more unstable and dangerous place than it need be, but also creating once-in-a-generation opportunities for those with an interest in profiting at Washington's expense.

[longtom]

And now the US is sending troops in again, more than they withdrew! F*** the Kurds but steal Syria's oil, the only reason they went in there to begin with (long before Trump).


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