Trump makes way for Turkey operation against Kurds in Syria

2019-10-07 11:41:57

The US says it is stepping aside for an imminent Turkish operation against Kurdish-led forces within Syria that have until now been a key US ally. Kurdish militias played a major role in defeating the Islamic State (IS) group, but Turkey regards them as terrorists. The US - which has hundreds of troops in north-eastern Syria - has begun to withdraw them from border areas. The main Kurdish-led force in Syria described the surprise announcement as a "stab in the back" by the US. In January, President Trump threatened to "devastate Turkey economically" if it attacked Kurdish forces. However, a White House statement issued on Sunday makes no reference to the Kurdish fighters. The statement followed a phone call between President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.