US to step aside for Turkish assault on Kurds in Syria

White House said on Sunday that U.S. forces in rast Syria will move aside and clear way for an expected Turkish assault, essentially abandoning Kurdish fighters who fought alongside American forces in yearslong battle to defeat Islamic State militants.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened for months to launch military operation across border. He views Kurdish forces as a threat to his country. Republicans and Democrats have warned that allowing Turkish attack could le to a massacre of Kurds and send a troubling mess to American allies across globe.

U.S. troops "will t support or be involved in operation" and "will longer be in immediate area," in rrn Syria, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in an unusual late-Sunday statement that was silent on fate of Kurds. re are about 1,000 U.S. troops in rrn Syria, and a senior U.S. official said y will pull back from area — and potentially depart country entirely should widespre fighting break out between Turkish and Kurdish forces.

anuncement followed a call between President Donald Trump and Erdogan, White House said.

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Trump on overseas wars

decision is a stark illustration of Trump's focus on ending American overseas entanglements — one of his key campaign promises. But his goal of swift withdrawals in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan have been stymied by concerns from U.S. officials and American allies about dangerous voids that would remain. As he faces an impeachment inquiry at home, Trump has appeared more focused on making good on his political pledges, even at risk of sending a troubling signal to American allies abro.

In December, Trump anunced he was withdrawing American troops from Syria but was met with widespre condemnation for abandoning Kurdish allies to Turkish assault. anuncement prompted resignation in protest of n-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and a coordinated effort by n-national security viser John Bolton to try to protect Kurds.

Since January, U.S. officials have tried to broker creation of a "safe zone" in rrn Syria to provide a security buffer between Turkish military and Kurdish forces, but Turkey has repeatedly objected to its slow implementation.

White House anuncement Sunday came a day after Erdogan offered strongest warning yet of a unilateral military operation into rastern Syria, as Turkish military has been dispatching units and defense equipment to its border with area.

"We have given all kinds of warning regarding (area) east of Euphrates to relevant parties. We have acted with eugh patience," Erdogan said.

Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces threatened to respond forcefully to any Turkish incursion. "We will t hesitate to turn any unprovoked attack by Turkey into an all-out war on entire border to DEFEND ourselves and our people," SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali tweeted on Saturday.

A Kurdish official speaking on condition of anymity because he's t authorized to brief reporters said Monday y expect a limited Turkish operation and are still working to ascertain what will happen with American forces in region. official said view is that Kurdish-led forces have a legitimate right to self-defense.

Turkey considers People's Protection Units, or YPG, an extension of Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has wd an insurgency against Turkey for 35 years. A senior U.S. official said Sunday that American troops will pull back from security zone in rastern Syria, where y have been working with Turkish troops, to an unspecified out-of--way location. re have been U.S. troops around Manbij.

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official ded that if Turkey goes ahe with incursion into Syria, it is expected to trigger a large combat response from SDF, and U.S. troops will almost certainly withdraw completely from Syria. official spoke on condition of anymity to discuss internal deliberations.

U.S. defense leers have long kwn that America would t get into an all-out war with Turkey, a NATO ally. But that has been stalled until w by aggressive negotiations by U.S., urging Turkey against inving. official said senior leers never believed that U.S. would go to war to save Kurds, but just hoped to put off that scenario.

official said U.S. leers have spoken with SDF and that group, which has long fought alongside U.S. against ISIS, is disappointed and angry.

Mattis and or Pentagon leers h worried that withdrawal would le to a resurgence of IS in country, particularly if SDF abandon prisons holding fighters to battle Turkey.

White House statement on Sunday said Turkey will take custody of foreign fighters captured in U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State group who have been held by Kurdish forces supported by U.S.

Ambassor James Jeffrey, State Department envoy to international coalition fighting Islamic State group and Trump have said Kurds have custody of thousands of captured Islamic State militants. y include about 2,500 highly dangerous foreign fighters from Europe and elsewhere whose native countries have been reluctant to take m back and ar 10,000 or so captured fighters from Syria and Iraq.

Trump has repeatedly demanded that European countries, particularly France and Germany, take back ir citizens who joined militant organization.

Kurdish officials have expressed concerns about a possible breakout by IS prisoners in case of fighting in area. In a recently released audio recording, ISIS leer Abu Bakr al-Baghdi called on members of extremist group to do all y can to free IS detainees and women held in jails and camps. ISIS was defeated in Iraq in 2017. In Syria it lost its last territory in March, marking end of extremists' self-declared caliphate. Despite se battlefield defeats, IS sleeper cells have continued to launch attacks in both Iraq and Syria.