Pompeo seeks to reassure Kurds in Syria

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought on Wednesday to reassure US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria that they will be safe after American troops withdraw from the country. Amid confusion over plans to implement US President Donald Trump’s pullout order and threats from Turkey to attack the Kurds, Pompeo made an unannounced stop in Iraq while on a weeklong trip to the Middle East aimed at assuaging the fears of Washington’s Arab partners that the United States is abandoning the region or walking away from the fight against the Islamic State group. Earlier in the week, Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, said protecting the Kurds is a priority for the US even as it moves to withdraw about 2,000 troops from Syria.