Turkey Enraged That The U.S. Wants To Give $200 Million To The Syrian-Kurdish Led SDF Next Year

A patrol of US military vehicles is seen near the flying yellow flags of the terrorist YPG-dominated SDF and green flags of its constituent YPJ in the town of Tal Tamr in the northeastern Syrian Hasakah province along the border with Turkey on Feb. 8, 2020. (AFP Photo)

Daily Sabah: Pentagon budget proposes whopping $200M funding to YPG/PKK terrorists in Syria

The $740.5 billion Pentagon budget proposed by the U.S. government will continue to provide funding for YPG/PKK terrorists in Syria but it will slash it by a third compared with the previous year, while it includes more funding for nuclear weapons, research and development spending.

The Trump administration's proposal will slash funding for the YPG/PKK-dominated SDF to $200 million from $300 million in 2020.

The SDF is an umbrella organization predominantly led by the terrorist PKK's Syrian wing YPG.

The proposed budget cuts funding for other combat operations abroad, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

American support for the YPG, under the name of the SDF, has long vexed Ankara. Turkey considers the YPG to be the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist organization, which has waged a more than 30-year brutal war against the Turkish state.

Washington views the SDF as a "reliable partner" in its fight against Daesh and continues to provide it with arms and equipment in the face of strong objections by Turkey.

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WNU Editor: This $200 million fund is down from the $300 million that the SDF is receiving this year. What is also annoying the Turks is the U.S decision to end this intelligence operation with Turkey .... Exclusive: U.S. halts secretive drone program with Turkey over Syria incursion (Reuters).

Is President Trump's Syrian Policy And Strategy The Right One?

Photo U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Koster

Lee Smith, The Federalist: 10 Questions To Ask About Trump’s Removal Of Troops From Syria

Trump’s critics appear to believe that backing a Marxist splinter group aligned with the anti-American, pro-Iranian axis in its war against a NATO ally is sound policy.

The U.S. foreign policy establishment has gone into meltdown mode since President Trump announced last week a withdrawal of several dozen troops from a corridor in northern Syria. American forces had been there since 2014, joined with a Kurdish splinter group to fight the notorious Sunni Arab terrorist organization, the Islamic State (ISIS).

Trump made his decision after a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but it was a long time coming. The Turks have been critical of U.S. support for an armed Kurdish organization they have considered the country’s most serious national security threat for five years. Trump’s move then should be seen in the context of his efforts to undo Obama administration policies, particularly its initiative to tilt away from traditional U.S. allies, like Turkey, and toward the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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WNU Editor: The main stream media, pundits and policy experts, and Washington's political are overwhelming critical of President Trump's Syrian-Kurd policy and strategy. But are they right? The above analysis is a contrarian point of view.

Relations Between The U.S. And The Kurds Were Deteriorating Long Before The U.S. Withdrawal From Northern Syria

Kurds Pelt U.S. Troops With Potatoes As The Pull Out Of Northern Syria

Amberin Zaman, Al-Monitor: Who betrayed Syria’s Kurds?

As Syrian Kurds hurled eggs, tomatoes and obscenities at US troops departing from northeastern Syria today, airing fury over their perceived betrayal by Donald Trump, their leaders scrambled to decipher mixed signals from administration officials over whether some US troops would remain in the region.

Mazlum Kobane, the commander in chief of the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), is lobbying hard to persuade the White House to deploy a residual force, as first reported by Al-Monitor. This would give the Kurds more leverage over the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, while allowing the US-led coalition to keep up the fight against Islamic State (IS) remnants, or so their reasoning goes. And Trump is reportedly weighing the option, according to The New York Times.

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Update: Exclusive: Inside the State Department's Meltdown with the Kurds (Matthew Petti, National Interest)

WNU Editor: The Kurds have always been a very independent people, and they have been in conflict with their neighbours forever. Their relations with the U.S. have also been turbulent, with both sides having different priorities and commitments with one recent exception .... the defeat of ISIS. ISIS is now a shell of its former self, and it is time for the U.S. to leave this region. Their mission has been completed. Unfortunately for the Kurds they underestimated President Trump's desire to get out of Northern Syria, and they certainly overestimated the influence that their allies in the U.S. Congress and media had in supporting them. Bottom line. They better search for new allies.

Kurds Pelt U.S. Troops With Potatoes As The Pull Out Of Northern Syria

Daily Mail: 'Betrayed' Kurds pelt US troops with POTATOES as they pull out of northern Syria and Turkey's President Erdogan warns he'll start wiping out 'terrorists' tomorrow after Trump's ceasefire ends

* Cameraman filmed more than 100 vehicles crossing the northeast tip of Syria
* Turkish President Erdogan has agreed to pause his offensive for five days
* Turkey said the truce will expire on Tuesday if Kurds don't move from 'safe zone'
* Around 1,000 troops are crossing into Iraq to continue campaign against ISIS
* Erdogan said that the West was 'standing by terrorists' for supporting Kurds

This is the moment Kurds hurled potatoes and abuse at a withdrawing convoy of US troops as they passed through a Syrian city on their way to Iraq.

Footage shows armored vehicles passing through the city of Qamishli and residents shouting 'No America' and 'America liar,' in English. The clip then shows the residents throwing potatoes at the convoy.

'Like rats, America is running away,' one man shouted in Arabic, according to a translation of the clip.

Another man shouted obscenities and talked of babies in Kurdish-held areas who have died in the Turkish offensive.

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More News On The Kurds Pelting U.S. Troops With Potatoes As The Pull Out Of Northern Syria

Residents of northeast Syria city pelt departing US troops -- AP
Syria: Civilians pelt US army vehicles with potatoes in Qamishli -- BBC
Syrian residents pelt retreating US troops with food and insults -- The Guardian
Video appears to show US troops being pelted with stones and rotten fruit as they pull out of Syria -- Business Insider
‘America is running away’: Irate Kurds pelt withdrawing US forces with vegetables (VIDEO) -- RT

Did President Trump Sell Out The Kurds By Pulling Out Of Syria?

Kurdish-led militiamen ride atop military vehicles as they celebrate victory over Islamic State in Raqqa, Syria, October 17, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File Photo

Kenneth R. Timmerman, NYPost: Trump didn’t sell out the Kurds by pulling out of Syria

The national media blasted President Trump’s withdrawal of 50 US military advisors from the Syrian border with Turkey as a “sellout,” a “betrayal” and a “huge strategic blunder.”

Let’s be clear: None of them truly care about the Kurds. Otherwise, they would have been sending correspondents and camera crews to Rojava, as the Kurds call northern Syria, on a regular basis.

Let’s also be clear about the goals of Turkish president Tayyip Recep Erdogan. While he attempted to stylize his military invasion of Rojava as a counterterrorism operation, few international observers bought into it. Why? Because there have been no terror attacks against Turkey from Syrian territory since the Syrian Kurds established their self-governing entity in 2012. None.

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WNU Editor: Turkish President Erdogan's threat to invade northern Syria and destroy Kurdish autonomy in that part of Syria was very real. His forces and his Syrian fighters were already deployed, and he gave a deadline on when he was going to do it. Given a choice between waging a war against a NATO ally with limited resources or to retreat and use the threat of sanctions to deter Turkey from destroying the Kurds, President Trump choose the one that would have the maximum impact with the least lost of life. This is not selling out the Kurds. As of today the ceasefire is still holding, but tensions are high. President Erdogan will be seeing Russian President Putin on Tuesday to discuss Syria. I understand that Putin is telling Erdogan to hold back, and to not escalate the crisis. We shall know after that meeting if this is will happen.

President Trump: Turkey-Syria-Kurds Conflict Isn’t America’s Fight

Daily Mail: Donald Trump calls Turkish invasion of Syria 'strategically BRILLIANT' for the U.S. as he slams Kurds as 'no angels' and says: 'There's a lot of sand they can play with. It's not our problem'

* Trump launches new defense of his pullout of troops from northern Syria saying: 'The Kurds are much safer right now.'
* Syria's Kurds, former U.S. allies until the pullout, made a hurried pact with Russian-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad for protection
* But they are being shelled by Turkish forces who have crossed the border - with Trump now saying: 'It's not our problem.'
* 'Syria's friendly with the Kurds. The Kurds are very well protected. Plus, they know how to fight. And, by the way, they're no angels,' he said
* Trump said the pullout was 'strategically brilliant' because U.S. forces were safe
* Comments throw emergency mission of Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo to Ankara to plead for a ceasefire with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan
* Erdogan has already scoffed at their mission, dismissed a ceasefire and said: 'When Trump comes here I will be talking to him.'
* Republican senator Lindsey Graham lashed out at Trump almost immediately, saying: president risked 'a disaster worse than Obama's decision to leave Iraq.'

Donald Trump launched a new defense of his pullout of American forces from northern Syria Wednesday, saying the situation is 'strategically brilliant for the U.S.' and dismissing the Kurds as 'no angels.'

Speaking in the Oval Office, he said the invasion of northern Syria by Turkey's military was 'not our problem' and claimed: 'The Kurds are much safer right now.'

Despite sending his vice president Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Ankara to hold urgent talks with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a ceasefire, Trump described the fighting in northern Syria as 'not our problem.'

'If Turkey goes into Syria it is between Turkey and Syria. It's not our problem,' he said.

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President Trump Says Turkey-Syria-Kurd Conflict Isn’t America’s Fight

Trump: Turkey-Syria-Kurds face-off isn’t America’s fight -- AP
Trump downplays Turkey's assault in Syria, touts sanctions over fighting -- Reuters
Trump dismisses Turkey's invasion of Syria: 'It's not our border' -- NBC
Trump says Turkish offensive in Syria is 'not our problem' -- The Hill

U.S. Threatens More Sanctions On Turkey. Vows More Diplomatic Pressure

Reuters: U.S. to mount pressure on Turkey to halt Syria offensive, may increase sanctions: U.S. official

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will mount diplomatic pressure on Turkey and threaten Ankara with more sanctions to persuade it to reach a ceasefire and halt its military offensive in northeastern Syria, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.

A week after reversing U.S. policy and moving troops out of the way to allow Turkey to attack Washington’s Syrian Kurdish allies, President Donald Trump announced a package of sanctions to punish Ankara but Turkey ignored the penalties and pressed on with its assault on Tuesday.

Speaking at a briefing, the U.S. official said Turkey’s incursion has caused ‘a mess’ in what he said once was a relatively stable part of northern Syria and that Washington was ratcheting up the pressure for it to stop.

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WNU Editor: What diplomatic pressure? I do not see it. And as for the current sanctions. Apparently these "sanctions" will not have the impact that the White House is claiming .... Trump’s sanctions won’t bite a vulnerable Turkish economy (AP).

More News On The U.S. Threatening More Sanctions On Turkey

Trump authorises sanctions, slaps steel tariffs on Turkey -- France 24
Trump threatens to ‘destroy’ Turkey’s economy with sanctions -- AP
Trump calls for ceasefire in Turkey's Syria strikes, imposes sanctions -- DW
Donald Trump raises tariffs on Turkey and threatens more sanctions over Syria offensive -- AC News Online
Scrambling to limit damage, Trump tells Turkey to stop its Syria invasion -- Reuters
Some US forces to remain in northeastern Syria, SDF sources say -- Al-Monitor
U.S. spec ops secrets could fall into hands of Russians and Syrians in pullout. -- Military Times

Is The 60,000 Strong US-Trained Kurdish-Led Force Collapsing After A Week Of Attacks By Turkish Forces And Their Proxy Fighters?

Military Times: The end of an era: 60,000 strong US-trained SDF partner force crumbles in a week under heavy Turkish assault

It was a global rallying cry as Kurdish fighters besieged in the Syrian city of Kobani began to fight back what appeared to be an invincible wave of ISIS fighters pillaging the region in 2014.

With the aid of U.S. airstrikes, Kurdish fighters would eventually take back the city in January 2015, and a steadfast partnership was born between the U.S. military and the Kurdish-led forces who ultimately re-branded themselves as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Nearly five years later, and 11,000 SDF killed liberating northeast Syria from ISIS’ hellish rule, the nearly 60,000 U.S.-trained force has been abandoned by its American partners and is under sustained assault by Turkish forces and their ragtag crew of proxy fighters — some who have reportedly fought under ISIS and al-Qaida banners.

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WNU Editor: The Kurdish-led SDF is fighting an enemy that has air superiority, mechanized units, artillery, and numbers that approach what the Kurds have. And these battles are occurring on a flat terrain that favours the Turks.I am surprised that the Turks have not advanced as much as they have.

U.S. Defense Secretary Esper: U.S. "Preparing To Evacuate" Remaining Troops From Northern Syria

WATCH: .@EsperDoD on the planned evacuation of U.S. troopers in northern Syria.
"I spoke with the president last night after discussions with the rest national security team and he directed that we begin a deliberate withdrawal of forces from northern Syria." pic.twitter.com/2Ma0XmypfP

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 13, 2019

CBS: U.S. "preparing to evacuate" remaining troops from northern Syria, defense secretary says

The U.S. is "preparing to evacuate" about 1,000 U.S. troops from northern Syria "as safely and quickly as possible," Defense Secretary Mark Esper told "Face the Nation" in an interview Sunday.

The move comes a week after President Trump announced the repositioning of several dozen American troops embedded with Kurdish forces in northern Syria, opening the door for a Turkish offensive against the Syrian Defense Forces (SDF), the main U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS.

"In the last 24 hours, we learned that [the Turks] likely intend to extend their attack further south than originally planned, and to the west," Esper said. "We also have learned in the last 24 hours that the ... SDF are looking to cut a deal, if you will, with the Syrians and the Russians to counterattack against the Turks in the north."

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WNU Editor: U.S. troops have also been authorized to fire back if fired upon .... US Troops Can Fire Back If Turkey Attacks Positions Again, Pentagon Says (Zero Hedge).

More News On U.S. "Preparing To Evacuate" Remaining Troops From Northern Syria

Esper says Trump orders US troops to leave northern Syria -- AP
U.S. set to pull remaining troops from north Syria after Turkish incursion -- Reuters
Trump tells Pentagon to begin withdrawing remaining troops from northern Syria -- Reuters
Esper confirms Trump ordered larger withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria -- The Hill
U.S. withdrawing last troops from northern Syria -- Politico
U.S. troops withdraw from another Syrian town as Turkish forces cut off supply lines -- The Washington Post
Esper says U.S. staying in Syria, but withdrawing south of Turkish advance and deal in works to have Russians protect Kurds -- Military Times
Esper: Turkey 'appears to be' committing war crimes in northern Syria -- The Hill
Esper criticises Turkey's offensive in Syria as 'impulsive' -- Al Jazeera

U.S. Special Forces Soldiers Under Fire From Turkish Artillery (Updated)

Smoke rises over the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain, as seen from the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province, Turkey, October 11. REUTERS/Kemal Aslan

Warzone/The Drive: U.S. Troops Reportedly Caught Up In Turkish Artillery Attack In Syria (Updated)

The incident underscores just how risky the situation is becoming for American troops as Turkey targets their local Syrian Kurdish partners.

Details are still limited, but a report has emerged that U.S. special operations forces working with the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, have found themselves under attack from the Turkish military in northeastern Syria. Turkey launched a major operation into the area, targeting the U.S.-backed forces, just two days ago. This incident comes shortly after U.S. Army General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that authorities in Turkey knew where American personnel were situated "down to explicit grid coordinate" in order to avoid such mistakes.

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WNU Editor: The situation on the ground must be incredibly fluid right now. There is no way that the Turks can know accurately where all U.S. forces are at any given time.

An Update On U.S. Special Forces Soldiers Under Fire From Turkish Artillery

US Special Forces Unit Under Fire from Turkish Shelling in Syria -- Military.com
US troops in Syria were nearly struck by Turkish artillery barrages that came dangerously close -- Business Insider
U.S. troops in Syria came under fire from Turkish positions -Pentagon -- Reuters
Turkey opens fire on US Special Forces in Syria so heavily they ‘considered firing back in self-defense’ -- Raw Story
Top U.S. general warns Turkey: 'We retain the right of self-defense' -- Washington Times

U.S. Special Forces Soldier In Syria: 'I Am Ashamed For The First Time In My Career'

I just spoke to a distraught US Special Forces soldier who is among the 1000 or so US troops in Syria tonight who is serving alongside the SDF Kurdish forces. It was one of the hardest phone calls I have ever taken.

"I am ashamed for the first time in my career."

— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) October 9, 2019

FOX New: Turkey's Syria invasion: Member of US Special Forces says, 'I am ashamed for the first time in my career'

PENTAGON – A member of U.S. Special Forces serving alongside the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria told Fox News on Wednesday they were witnessing Turkish atrocities on the frontlines.

“I am ashamed for the first time in my career,” said the distraught soldier, who has been involved in the training of indigenous forces on multiple continents. The hardened service member is among the 1,000 or so U.S. troops who remain in Syria.

“Turkey is not doing what it agreed to. It’s horrible,” the military source on the ground said. “We met every single security agreement. The Kurds met every single agreement [with the Turks]. There was no threat to the Turks -- none -- from this side of the border."

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WNU Editor: I understand the geopolitical reasons why President Trump made the decision to acquiesce to Turkish demands that they wanted to occupy northern Syria. I also understand why President Trump is frustrated when he has to write a letter to a family who has lost a loved one in one of those never-ending wars in the Middle East. But the Kurds have been the only true ally to the U.S. in this part of the world, and they have paid for it in blood. That is why the U.S. decision to abandon northern Syria to a duplicitous person like Erdogan sucks.  The intelligent thing to do when facing a superior force is to back away, which is what the U.S. is doing. But in your heart you know that you are deserting your friends who would not back away if you are in trouble. Feeling shameful does not even touch the surface on how these soldiers feel.

More News On Morale Among U.S. Soldiers In Syria

U.S. and Kurdish soldiers: Side by side just days ago, battling ISIS, now the Kurds are under attack -- USA Today
US soldier in Syria: 'I am ashamed for the first time in my career' -- The Hill
US soldier on front lines in Syria tells Fox reporter, ‘I am ashamed for the first time in my career' -- Washington Examiner

Russian Crew Film A Hastily-Abandoned US Base In Syria

Zero Hedge: "Ghost Town" - Russian Crew Films Hastily-Abandoned US Base In Syria As Turks Move In

While limited groups of Turkish infantry forward deployments have crossed into northeast Syria, seeking to move US-allied Kurdish forces away from its border, as Bloomberg reported this morning, we now have the first on the ground visual confirmation of a US troop exit from key border posts.

A Russian film crew with RT appears to have gained access to the now abandoned US military base in Tel Arqam, near the town of Ras al-Ain along the Syrian-Turkish border.

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WNU editor: They were definitely in a hurry to leave. 

America's Top Ally In Syria Warns ISIS Is Resurging

CNN: EXCLUSIVE: America's top ally in Syria warns ISIS is resurging and asks for more US support

(CNN)America's top ally in the fight against ISIS, the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, warned Friday that the terrorist group was resurging in Syria and asked for increased US support for his troops as they seek to keep ISIS from reestablishing itself.

Asked if he agreed with a recent Pentagon inspector general report that said ISIS was resurging in Syria after President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw about half the US troops from the country, Gen. Mazloum Kobani Abdi, the Syrian Democratic Forces commander, told CNN that "this is our opinion as well."

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WNU editor: The relationship between the U.S. and its closest ally in Syria is complicated .... How Trump Betrayed the General Who Defeated ISIS (Robin Wright, New Yorker).

Is The U.S. Betraying The Syrian Kurds?

American soldiers stand near military trucks, at al-Omar oil field in Deir Al Zor, Syria March 23. REUTERS/Rodi Said

Robin Wright, New Yorker: How Trump Betrayed the General Who Defeated ISIS

The Islamic State has finally fizzled. Its caliphate, daringly declared from the pulpit of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, in Iraq, in 2014, had been the size of Britain, ruled eight million people, lured recruits from eighty countries, and threatened to redraw the map of the Middle East. It ended, in the Syrian farming hamlet of Baghouz, as little more than a junk yard about the size of Central Park, filled with burnt-out vehicles and dilapidated tents. Tens of thousands of ISIS loyalists, both fighters and their families, opted to surrender—and face life in crammed prisons and dreary detention camps—rather than become martyrs in ISIS’s promised paradise.

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WNU Editor: Betrayal is a harsh word. Everyone knew (and knows) that the U.S. will not stay permanently in Syria, including the Kurds and their allies. The fact that almost 1,000 U.S. soldiers still remain in Syria, and probably will till next year, is a surprise to me.

CENTCOM General Votel Recommends Arming And Aiding Kurdish-Led Forces In Syria After Withdrawal

General Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command visited northern Syria on 21 MayREUTERS/Yuri Gripas

Reuters: Exclusive: U.S. general recommends arming, aiding Syrian fighters after pullout

MUSCAT (Reuters) - The United States should keep arming and aiding the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) following the planned U.S. withdrawal from Syria, provided the group keeps up the pressure on Islamic State, a senior U.S. general told Reuters on Friday.

The recommendation by Army General Joseph Votel, who oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East as head of Central Command, is one of the strongest signs yet of U.S. military hopes for an enduring partnership with the SDF despite the concerns of NATO ally Turkey, which says Kurdish SDF fighters are terrorists.

“As long as they are fighting against ISIS and continue to keep pressure on them, I think it would seem to me to be in our interest to continue to provide the means for them to do that,” Votel said in an interview, using an acronym for Islamic State.

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WNU Editor: The Kurds have lived and fought in this part of the world for centuries. I am confident that they will survive when the U.S. leaves. But will the U.S. continue to aid the Kurds after they have left? I suspect that this relationship will continue even if U.S. forces are not there.

Kurds Condemn President Trump's Decision To Withdraw U.S. Forces From Syria

Daily Mail: Trump is making ISIS STRONGER says key Syrian ally whose forces are being trained by the U.S. troops president ordered out of war-torn country

* The SDF, Kurdish forces in Syria, warned the US's exit risked an ISIS uprising
* Kurdish officials and commanders met into the night to discuss a plan of action
* Donald Trump announced the shock decision to remove US troops on Thursday

A Syria troop pullout announced by the White House could allow the Islamic State group to rebuild, the Kurdish-dominated force battling the jihadists on the ground warned on Thursday.

'It will have a negative impact on the counterterrorism campaign,' the Syrian Democratic Forces, the US-led coalition's main military partner in the battle against IS, said in a statement.

The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters which has spearheaded the ground battle against the jihadists, warned a pullout would allow IS to regroup and launch a counterattack.

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WNU Editor: The Kurds are threatening to do this .... Kurdish Fighters Discuss Releasing Almost 3,200 ISIS Prisoners (The New York Times).

More News On The Kurds Condemning President Trump's Decision To Withdraw U.S. Forces From Syria

US pullout leaves Syria Kurds exposed -- AFP
Key US ally in Syria: ISIS 'has not been defeated’ -- The Hill
US Syria pullout draws Kurdish condemnation and Putin's praise -- The Guardian
Kurdish-led militia slam US decision to withdraw troops from Syria -- DW
Syria Kurds say to keep up anti-IS fight unless Turkey attacks -- AFP
Syria's Kurds say Trump US troop pullout harms anti-IS fight -- BBC
Syria's Kurds feel trapped between threats from Assad and Turkey -- Haaretz
US pullout leaves Syria Kurds exposed -- France 24

U.S. Will Spend $500M On Syrian Kurds This Year

(Click On Image to Enlarge)

Robert Ford, Defense One/The Atlantic: The US Will Spend $500M on Syrian Kurds This Year. For What?

The Trump administration is embarking on a state-building project with no clear strategy, benchmarks, or goals.

As the world watches the Syrian government’s relentless bombing of Ghouta, 300 miles to the east, the United States remains focused on eradicating the last vestiges of the Islamic State. On February 11, Secretary of Defense James Mattis stressed that, following the group’s defeat, there is no plan for a deeper U.S. commitment in Syria. Several weeks later on February 23, President Donald Trump echoed Mattis’s message, saying that the 1,700 to 2,000 U.S. troops in the country would “go home” after ISIS had been beaten.

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WNU Editor: What is the U.S. strategy, benchmark, and goals in Syria? A legitimate question, and one that I predict will not be answered in the coming months.

No Money In The Pentagon's Budget To Pay Iraq's Peshmerga Salaries

Kurdish peshmerga fighters gather north of Kirkuk, Iraq, Oct. 19, 2017. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed

Al-Monitor: Pentagon stops budgeting for peshmerga salaries

The Trump administration’s budget proposal for next fiscal year does not include peshmerga salaries even as the Pentagon aims to continue training the Kurdish force.

The Department of Defense had requested $365 million in stipends for the year that ends Sept. 30 but did not spend the money after negotiations to extend an expiring memorandum of understanding broke down in September. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had agreed to pay the peshmerga wages in October, but a US Inspector General report released earlier this month said the Kurdish fighters still hadn’t been paid

“Those documents do not specifically refer to training/stipends for the peshmerga,” Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told Al-Monitor in an email today. Lawmakers have yet to weigh in on the $716 billion Pentagon request for fiscal year 2019.

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WNU Editor: Everyone knew that this day was going to come .... the war is almost over, so why spend the money.

Has The U.S. Abandoned The Kurds?

Al-Monitor: Is US bailing on Syrian Kurds?

Although US President Donald Trump urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Jan. 24 to “exercise caution and to avoid any actions that might risk conflict between Turkish and American forces,” Turkey appears committed to extending its military operations beyond the current assault on Afrin.

Two days after Trump and Erdogan spoke, the Turkish presidency announced that, following a call between Erdogan adviser and spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and US national security adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster, “no weapons would be given” to the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which would amount to a major American concession and potential turning point in the conflict.

The next day, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called on US forces to leave Manbij.

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Update #1: New US strategy for Syria could be doomed as America’s allies fight each other, analysts say (SCMP/Washington Post)
Update #2: US takes sides in Turkey-Kurdish clash in Syria (Rick Moran, American Thinker)

WNU Editor: In the war against the Islamic State it made sense for the U.S. to ally itself with the Kurds and for the Kurds to ally themselves with the U.S. to defeat a common enemy. But with ISIS now destroyed, the dynamics of this alliance is now changing back to the status quo. And what is that status quo ..... the U.S. has a long standing policy to not support the Kurds in their aspirations of having a separate state. In short .... if the Kurds want a separate state they must look elsewhere. But in a region where everyone hates the Kurds .... that support will not be forthcoming. And while this may be a massive disappointment for many who believe that the Kurds deserve better (and I am one of those who believes they do deserve something better) .... in the world of realpolitik their value to the U.S. has just diminished.

Update: Hat tip to Jay for this link on the suffering that is now happening in Afrin .... Inside Afrin, the true victims of Turkey's invasion of northern Syria are revealed - refugees, babies, women and children (Robert Fisk, The Independent).

The U.S. Wants Their Weapons Back From The Syrian Kurds

A Kurdish fighter from the People's Protection Units (YPG) fires his weapon from a house in Raqqa, Syria June 21, 2017. © Goran Tomasevic / Reuters

Al-Monitor: US faces uphill battle recouping arms from Syrian Kurds

The Donald Trump administration plans to ask Kurdish fighters in Syria to return US weapons loaned for the fight against the Islamic State (IS), but the administration is not ending all support despite growing pressure from NATO ally Turkey.

The message from White House and Pentagon officials on Monday appeared to walk back assertions from Turkey’s top diplomat that Trump had promised to cease support to Kurdish elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkey considers the group’s Kurdish faction, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), to be a terrorist group.

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WNU Editor: Good luck on the Americans getting their weapons back.