Erdogan defies Trump, no ceasefire in Syria
Turkey vowed to press ahead with its offensive in northern Syria on Tuesday despite US sanctions and growing calls for it to stop, while Syria’s Russia-backed army moved on the key city of Manbij that was abandoned by US forces.
US President Donald Trump’s unexpected decision to withhold protection from Syria’s Kurds, after a phone call with Erdogan (below) a week ago, swiftly upended five years of US policy on Syria.
As well as clearing the way for the Turkish incursion, the US withdrawal gives a free hand to Washington’s adversaries in the world’s deadliest ongoing war, namely Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies.
US President Donald Trump’s unexpected decision to withhold protection from Syria’s Kurds, after a phone call with Erdogan (below) a week ago, swiftly upended five years of US policy on Syria.
As well as clearing the way for the Turkish incursion, the US withdrawal gives a free hand to Washington’s adversaries in the world’s deadliest ongoing war, namely Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies.