‘Success’ abroad, strain at home
❚ President Trump lifted sanctions against Turkey and claimed victory with a “permanent” cease-fire even as critics rejected the very idea of a win for the U.S.
❚ In Washington, the impeachment inquiry against the president brought a chaotic defense in the Capitol from protesting Republicans but bad news in a new poll.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Turkey Wednesday and declared a “big success” in Syria, saying Turkish officials had agreed to permanently end their attack on Syrian Kurdish forces.
Trump’s move came even as his envoy for Syria, James Jeffrey, condemned Turkey’s military assault as deeply disruptive and said Turkish forces may have committed war crimes.
It also came as Russia gained a key foothold in Syria and lawmakers expressed growing concerns about Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces stationed at the Syria-Turkey border. Trump imposed the sanctions on Turkey last week after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a military assault on the Kurds, a key U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic State terrorists.
Lawmakers in both parties pilloried Trump’s decision to lift sanctions.
“It’s unthinkable that Turkey would not suffer consequences for malevolent behavior which was contrary to the interests of the United States and our friends,” Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tweeted.
Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, contradicted Trump’s assertion that Turkey had agreed to stop its attack on the Kurds and said Russia would be a pernicious force in the region.
“Erdogan has NOT agreed to stop all military operations in #Syria,” Rubio tweeted. The senator said Russia will “remove Kurdish forces from east & west of current Turk controlled areas, including Kurdish cities” and take control of five oil fields in Syria.
While critics ridiculed Trump’s claim of a victory, the president said a U.S.tes
cease-fire between Turkey and the Kurds had held “beyond most expectations” and reiterated his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the region. Trump said he would leave a limited number of troops in northeastern Syria to secure oil fields there.
He said his detractors want an endless, unlimited U.S. commitment in a dangerous region.
“They are the ones who got us into the Middle East mess,” he said during a 15-minute speech at the White House. “Let someone else fight over this long bloodstained sand.”
The president said he could reimpose sanctions if Turkey fails to honor its obligations “including the protection of religious and ethnic minorities.”
The president had come under withering criticism for his decision to with
draw U.S. forces.
“Trump’s Syria decision not only will do lasting damage to America’s reputation as a trustworthy ally,” said Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington-based foreign policy research institute.
In Syria, the situation on the ground remains in flux. Russia has moved to fill a power vacuum created by the U.S. departure, the Kurds fear an ethnic cleansing by Turkish forces, and an estimated 100 Islamic State fighters have escaped from Kurdish detention facilities.
On Tuesday, Russia and Turkey agreed to take joint control of a vital strip of territory along the Syria-Turkey border, a victory for Moscow as the U.S. military continued its withdrawal. Russian military police crossed the Euphra
tes River and entered northern Syria on Wednesday morning, according to Kremlin-controlled state media.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s assault, even while suspended, has spawned a humanitarian crisis in Syria. The United Nations estimated Tuesday that about 180,000 Syrians have been forced to leave their homes or shelters, including 80,000 children, all in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
And the pact between Putin and Erdogan, gives Moscow a crucial foothold in the Middle East. Under the agreement, Russia and Turkey agreed to work together to remove Kurdish fighters from a 20-mile zone in northern Syria.
“It is clear that the United States has been sidelined,” Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Tuesday.
Asked Wednesday about accusations of Turkish war crimes, Jeffrey said: “We’re looking into those allegations, and we actually have a set of packages and sent a high-level demarche to Ankara demanding an explanation.” That formal appeal to Turkey likely refers to the assassination of Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf, among other executions.
Credible reports of war crimes – being committed against Kurds by Turkish-supported militias – continue to emerge from Syria, said a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly. Verifying the incidents, which have occurred despite the cease-fire, has been complicated by the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the official said.
Trump’s moves in Syria have alienated even his staunchest GOP allies, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham. And Tuesday’s agreement between Russia and Turkey has only exacerbated concerns on Capitol Hill.