{"slug":"syrian-kurds-betrayal-turkey-offensive","title":"Betrayal of Kurdish Allies: U.S. Withdrawal Enabling Turkish Military Offensive in Northeast Syria","date":"2019-10-07","lastUpdated":"2019-11-01","description":"On October 7, 2019, following a phone call with Turkish President Erdoğan, Trump abruptly ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops from northeast Syria, clearing the way for a Turkish military operation against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces — the primary U.S. partner in defeating ISIS. The offensive killed hundreds of civilians and displaced 180,000+ people.","summary":"After a phone call with Erdoğan, Trump announced U.S. forces would step aside from the Turkish-Syrian border, describing the Syrian Kurds as 'no angels' and suggesting the region's conflicts were 'not our problem.' Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring within hours. The SDF — which had lost 11,000 fighters combating ISIS — was forced to divert troops from guarding ISIS prisoner facilities; hundreds of ISIS prisoners escaped.","category":"foreign-policy","severity":"extreme","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/us/politics/trump-turkey-syria-kurds.html","title":"Trump Clears Way for Turkish Military to Attack U.S.-Allied Kurds in Syria","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49983852","title":"Turkey launches military operation in northern Syria","publisher":"BBC News"},{"url":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/10/18/syria-turkish-backed-forces-commit-laws-of-war-violations","title":"Syria: Turkish-Backed Forces Commit Laws of War Violations","publisher":"Human Rights Watch"},{"url":"https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sc13990.doc.htm","title":"Security Council: Civilian Casualties in Northeast Syria","publisher":"UN Security Council"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/isis-prisoners-escape-in-chaotic-wake-of-turkey-offensive-as-us-forces-draw-down-in-syria/2019/10/13/3e50b32e-edd7-11e9-b2da-606ba1ef30e3_story.html","title":"ISIS prisoners escape in chaotic wake of Turkey offensive as U.S. forces draw down","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-turkey-syria-da9f2b4abc5a44718b48095ebff3e374","title":"Bipartisan criticism of Trump's Syria withdrawal","publisher":"The Associated Press"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["Syria","Kurds","Turkey","first-term","betrayal","ISIS","civilian-displacement"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2019-10-06","title":"Trump speaks with Erdoğan","summary":"Trump takes a phone call from Turkish President Erdoğan. What is discussed is not immediately disclosed. No senior defense or diplomatic officials are consulted afterward."},{"date":"2019-10-07","title":"White House announces withdrawal","summary":"The White House releases a statement saying U.S. forces will step aside from the Turkish-Syrian border, effectively clearing the path for a Turkish military operation. The SDF is informed by phone, not in person, with hours' notice."},{"date":"2019-10-09","title":"Turkey launches Operation Peace Spring","summary":"Turkish forces and Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters cross the border into northeast Syria. Airstrikes and artillery target SDF positions and nearby civilian areas."},{"date":"2019-10-13","title":"ISIS prisoners escape","summary":"As SDF forces redeploy to resist the Turkish advance, guards abandon ISIS prisoner detention facilities. Hundreds of ISIS prisoners escape, according to the SDF and corroborating reports."},{"date":"2019-10-16","title":"House condemns withdrawal 354-60","summary":"The House of Representatives passes a resolution condemning the Syria withdrawal 354-60, one of the most bipartisan votes of the Trump era. Senate Majority Leader McConnell says the decision is 'a big mistake.'"},{"date":"2019-10-18","title":"HRW documents war crimes by Turkish-backed forces","summary":"Human Rights Watch publishes evidence that Turkish-backed Syrian National Army forces extrajudicially executed at least 18 Kurdish fighters and civilians, including a Kurdish politician whose body was recorded being desecrated on social media."},{"date":"2019-10-22","title":"Ceasefire brokered — Kurdish towns already taken","summary":"Vice President Pence brokers a ceasefire, which Turkey accepts after achieving key territorial objectives. The towns of Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ayn) and Girespi (Tal Abyad) and surrounding areas are now under Turkish/Turkish-backed control."},{"date":"2019-11-01","title":"UN: 180,000+ displaced","summary":"The UN estimates more than 180,000 civilians have been displaced by the offensive. The Kurdish-majority population of the affected strip of territory has largely fled."}],"location":{"name":"Northeast Syria / Turkish border","lat":37,"lng":40.5},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"Geneva Conventions","article":"Additional Protocol I, Article 51","provision":"Protection of civilian population — enabling a military offensive known to target civilian areas violates this protection"},{"statute":"UN Charter","article":"Article 2(4)","provision":"U.S. facilitation of Turkish forces entering Syrian territory without authorization"},{"statute":"International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights","article":"Article 6","provision":"Right to life — abandonment of allies knowing they face lethal military attack"}],"iccRelevance":false,"civilianCasualties":218,"victims":"218+ civilians killed in Operation Peace Spring per UN monitoring; 180,000+ Kurds and other civilians displaced; hundreds of ISIS prisoners escaped from facilities the SDF could no longer guard","structuredVictims":[{"group":"Kurdish and Arab civilians in northeast Syria","status":"218+ killed, 180,000+ displaced during Turkish offensive","count":218},{"group":"Syrian Democratic Forces fighters","status":"Primary U.S. ISIS-fighting partner abandoned; hundreds killed in offensive"}],"structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President of the United States","institution":"White House"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2019-11-01","summary":"Updated with UN displacement estimates and HRW war crimes documentation."}]}}