President Trump has called for American troops to withdraw from Northern Syria, just ahead of planned Turkish operations in the region. For years, the United States has supported the Kurdish forces, People's Protection Units, (YPG) to fight the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) in the country, while Turkey denounces the YPG as a terrorist group. Despite the differences in interests, the two NATO countries have refrained from engaging in combat and escalating the conflict, given the dire repercussions of doing so.
President Trump’s decision marks a significant shift in US foreign policy and essentially abandons the Kurdish forces, allowing Turkey to move forward with its long planned operations in Northern Syria, with the aim of creating a new safe-zone to eliminate terrorists and return Syrian refugees who migrated to Turkey. Many criticize the Trump administration’s decision, warning it could destabilize the Middle East further and endanger progress made against fighting ISIS. President Trump has defended his decision, claiming that supporting the YPG has been too costly, and that the US no longer has a strategic gain in Syria. The decision may be indicative of new US strategic interests, given that it comes during a time of deliberation about actions to take towards Iran, following the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities.
