RTMon, 21 Oct 2019 15:23 UTC
© REUTERS/Ari JalalA convoy of U.S. vehicles is seen after withdrawing from northern Syria, at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing in the outskirts of Dohuk, Iraq, October 21, 2019.
US forces leaving northern Syria have reportedly crossed into Iraq, where they will continue their seemingly endless military presence in the region. Donald Trump had insinuated that the soldiers would be returning home.
More than 100 armored vehicles were spotted entering Iraq from the Sahela border crossing in Dohuk province, Reuters said.
An Iraqi Kurdish security source told the news service that US soldiers had crossed into the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq.Monday's troop transfer is part of the Pentagon's plan to move all of the nearly 1,000 personnel withdrawing from northern Syria to western Iraq. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that the forces would participate in ongoing operations against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). He added that it wasn't yet decided if the US soldiers would carry out missions in Syria from their new home in Iraq.
Before leaving their posts, the troops bombed a US base and landing strip in northern Syria, and destroyed equipment at another outpost. Announcing his decision to leave Syria earlier this month, US President Donald Trump argued that it was "time to bring our soldiers back home," a rationale that doesn't seem to hold up to scrutiny now that the troops have relocated to war-torn Iraq.
Comment: Kurdish residents of Qamishli vented their feelings
like this:
A convoy of armoured personnel carriers is flanked on all sides by irate Kurds shouting "No America" and "America liar" in English while one resident can be heard describing US troops as fleeing "Like rats... America is running away," in Arabic.
The angry citizens appear to be firing potatoes at their departing former allies but the Rudaw news agency reports that tomatoes were the projectile of choice.
But despite the withdrawal from the northeast, Trump is
reportedly thinking of keeping around 200 US troops in eastern Syria to "fight Daesh":
According to the [NYT], in addition to the main goal โ to prevent the resurgence of Daesh in Syria or neighbouring Iraq โ it is important for the United States to assist the Kurds in maintaining control of the oil fields in the east.
Three representatives of the presidential administration and the Department of Defence confirmed that senior US politicians and commanders had discussed such a plan. Trump, according to The New York Times, is now hesitating between two options, either to achieve the ultimate goal and send the US military home from Syria and end the war or to make sure that the containment and weakening of Daesh continues. Per some officials, Trump may say that the deployment of the small contingent is a reasonable way to ensure security in the region and in the United States, without breaking his promise.
Commenting on the possibility of leaving a small number of military personnel in eastern Syria, the White House said that this was not a change of policy, because the main purpose of the withdrawal was to protect the people.
Russias Defense Minister Shoigu says that there's a risk many foreign terrorists will
repatriate as a result of Turkey's incursion:
"As a result of the actions of the Turkish army in Syria, eight refugee camps and 12 prisons for foreign militants remained unprotected. This could lead to a surge in the so-called reverse migration of terrorists to their historical homeland," Shoigu said at a plenary meeting of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum.
"There is a need to consolidate the efforts of the entire world community to counter terrorists' challenges, their ideology and propaganda. The Russian Defence Ministry has gained vast experience in this area, which we are ready to share with our partners in the Asia-Pacific region," Shoigu stressed.
He also made the following
proposal:
"We very much hope that the steps that are being taken now โ our cooperation with Turkish and US colleagues โ will allow regional security and stability to improve instead of degrading. The events of the past few days, are, unfortunately, seeding unoptimistic thoughts", Shoigu told participants of a security forum in Beijing.
He also noted that Moscow sees this as a problem which "should be solved immediately, and not only at the Russia-Turkey-US level".
On a positive note, Turkish officials have confirmed that Kurdish militants have begun to leave the regions near the Turkish border. If they don't complete their withdrawal within the 35 hours left in the 5-day pause, Turkish forces will
resume their operation. Lavrov says Russia will
back a revised Adana Pact if both Ankara and Damascus deem it necessary:
"This is the existing international legal framework that has been recently confirmed by both parties, including in the context of current events. If the parties, in the course of contacts, consider it necessary and mutually acceptable to clarify or amend this agreement in any way, this will be their decision, we will certainly accept and support it," Lavrov said at a press conference.
Lavrov further noted that all the Kurds present in Syria should be covered by the new Syrian constitution in order to guarantee the absence of any threat coming from the Syrian territory against Turkey.
"All the Kurdish structures on the Syrian territory should be solidly covered by the Syrian legislation, the Syrian constitution, so that there are no illegal armed groups on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, and so that no threat to security of the Republic of Turkey and any other nation comes from the Syrian territory," Lavrov said at a press conference after talks with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zakharieva.
The minister further noted that Russia had no plans to host a Syria-Turkey security meeting amid existing tensions over Turkey's offensive in the north of the neighbouring country
"A representative of the presidential administration has already commented on planned contacts between Syrian and Turkish representatives in Sochi. We do not plan such contacts," Lavrov said at a press conference.
For previous updates, see:
Comment: Kurdish residents of Qamishli vented their feelings like this: But despite the withdrawal from the northeast, Trump is reportedly thinking of keeping around 200 US troops in eastern Syria to "fight Daesh": Russias Defense Minister Shoigu says that there's a risk many foreign terrorists will repatriate as a result of Turkey's incursion: He also made the following proposal: On a positive note, Turkish officials have confirmed that Kurdish militants have begun to leave the regions near the Turkish border. If they don't complete their withdrawal within the 35 hours left in the 5-day pause, Turkish forces will resume their operation. Lavrov says Russia will back a revised Adana Pact if both Ankara and Damascus deem it necessary: For previous updates, see: