SYRIA (JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that a “permanent” ceasefire in Syria has been reached, and that all U.S. sanctions enacted against Turkey will be lifted.
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“I have, therefore, instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to lift all sanctions imposed October 14th in response to Turkey’s original offensive moves against the Kurds,” said Trump.
The president expressed confidence that Turkey would do its part to maintain the peace in northern Syria, where the United States withdrew its troops from on Oct. 6.
Trump said that a small number of U.S. troops will remain in Syria to protect the region’s oil despite claiming that the United States is getting out of the country after a decade.
The announcement on Wednesday came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared that his country and Russia had reached a “historic” agreement that would remove all Syrian Kurdish fighters from the Syria-Turkey border region.
“According to this agreement, Turkey and Russia will not allow any separatist agenda on Syrian territory,” said Erdoğan, speaking alongside Putin at a press conference following the meeting.
Within 150 hours, starting at noon on Oct. 23, said Erdoğan, “YPG [People’s Protection Units] terrorists and their weapons will be removed to the depth of 30 kilometers and their … positions will be destroyed.”
He added that after the one-week deadline, joint Turkish and Russian patrols would start in two zones stretching six miles to the east and west of the area of Turkey’s current “Operation Peace Spring.”
The purpose of the Turkish offensive in northern Syria, according to Turkey, is to create a “safe zone” along the Syria-Turkey border free of Kurdish fighters, particularly those belonging to the YPG militia, which Turkey views as a terrorist organization.
More than 1,000 Islamic State prisoners have been released by Turkish-backed proxy forces with ties to extremist groups since the Turkish incursion, which started on Oct. 9, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would be pulling U.S. forces out of Syria. In the weeks since, nearly 300,000 people have fled the area, and some 200 civilians have been killed.
A 120-hour ceasefire brokered by the United States to give Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces time to pull back expired on Tuesday evening, though Turkey says claims there is now “no need” to relaunch its offensive.
A Senate bill to enact sanctions on Turkey for its incursion into northeastern Syria will be put on hold, Sen. Lindsey Graham told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.
Herr Trump “declared” a cease fire? Au contraire:
The announcement originated with the Turks and “…came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared that his country and Russia had reached a “historic” agreement that would remove all Syrian Kurdish fighters [our former allies in the fight against ISIS] from the Syria-Turkey border region.
“According to this agreement, Turkey and Russia will not allow any separatist agenda on Syrian territory,” said Erdoğan, speaking alongside Putin at a press conference following the meeting.”
Trump has stabbed our allies in the back, enabled ISIS, enabled Russia and enabled Iran…the Turks now are “negotiating” with the Russians…The United States isn’t even at the table.
And Archy, remember how outraged you all Trumpies were when Obama failed to follow through on his “red line” in Syria…that really was was pretty bad…this is a monumental and historic blunder born of hubris and incompetence.
After selling out our Allies the Kurds in the fight against ISIS and evil Syrian tyrant Assad, responsible for 500,000 feaths there, the Russians (not Dufus Donnie) forced Turkey into a ceasefire. Now Russia is dominant in the MidEast after 20 years of US sacrifice there. What a waste, all due to Trump’s stuidity.
the putz creates the situation, then takes credit after a so-called cease fire.
putz
All part of the gradual retreat of the United States. I wonder how much our President is being paid for all this.