As published in the International Business Times by by Marcy Kreiter
A memo from a U.S. diplomat on the ground in northern Syria sharply criticizes the administration for not doing more to stop Turkey’s invasion last month, saying the Turks committed war crimes and ethnic cleansing when given a free hand.
memo from a U.S. diplomat on the ground in northern Syria sharply criticizes the administration for not doing more to stop Turkey’s invasion last month, saying the Turks committed war crimes and ethnic cleansing when given a free hand.
The memo was written by veteran diplomat William V. Roebuck and presents a blunt assessment of the impact of President Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops away from the Syria-Turkey border, abandoning support for the Kurdish fighters who helped oust Islamic State group terrorists from the region.
Roebuck said the administration should have applied more pressure on Ankara, including sanctions and increased military patrols, which have worked to dissuade the Turks from invading in the past.
“It is a catastrophic sideshow [to the overall Syrian conflict] and it is to a significant degree of our making,” Roebuck said.
memo from a U.S. diplomat on the ground in northern Syria sharply criticizes the administration for not doing more to stop Turkey’s invasion last month, saying the Turks committed war crimes and ethnic cleansing when given a free hand.
The memo was written by veteran diplomat William V. Roebuck and presents a blunt assessment of the impact of President Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops away from the Syria-Turkey border, abandoning support for the Kurdish fighters who helped oust Islamic State group terrorists from the region.
Roebuck said the administration should have applied more pressure on Ankara, including sanctions and increased military patrols, which have worked to dissuade the Turks from invading in the past.
“It is a catastrophic sideshow [to the overall Syrian conflict] and it is to a significant degree of our making,” Roebuck said.
