Trump’s surprise pullout announcement dismayed those who saw it as an invitation to Iran to fill the vacuum in northeast Syria and a betrayal of Kurdish allies who had fought against Islamic State. But it was welcomed in Turkey. The presence of U.S. forces has deterred Ankara from attacking the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, which it regards as linked to Kurdish separatists battling for autonomy in southeast Turkey.
It’s not clear Russia would approve a Turkish operation deep into Syrian territory. Conflicting voices from Washington on the pullout’s timetable has held the Turkish military at bay, but Erdogan has said Turkey would take over the Kurdish-controlled town of Manbij in Syria’s north and eventually hand it over to “its real owners.”
The Kurdish YPG militia, alarmed by the prospect of a U.S. pullout, has been urging the Assad government and Moscow to send troops to border areas Kurdish forces have held for years to hold off any Turkish offensive. A Turkish campaign in the northeastern city of Afrin drove out Kurdish forces and civilians last year.
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