The phone conversation between Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan is having catastrophic results. The green light the U.S. president gave his Turkish counterpart on October 6 (even if Trump later clumsily tried to play down its significance) has produced tremors that have completely changed the situation in northern Syria, already affecting the strategic picture across the entire Middle East. (Click here for live updates)
Here’s a balance sheet of the last few days. The United States has betrayed the Kurds, its key allies in defeating the Islamic State, and evacuated its troops from Kurdish areas in Syria, as Trump had promised Erdogan. Turkey has penetrated 30 kilometers (19 miles) into Syria, sending tens of thousands of civilians fleeing. Hundreds of Kurds have been killed by Turkish air raids, with a few instances (such as the murder of a female Kurdish politician and the execution of prisoners on camera) of war crimes by Turkish soldiers and their Syrian militia allies.
Want to read more articles about Donald Trump?
Email*Sign up I’d like to receive emails on offers, appeals and commercial info
Meanwhile, hundreds if not thousands of Islamic State prisoners have escaped from camps controlled by the Kurds. In their despair, Kurdish leaders have appealed to Bashar Assad, asking the Syrian regime to take control of certain Kurdish areas on the assumption that even the murderous regime in Damascus is better than what they can expect under the Turkish jackboot.
This is another chapter in the long tragedy known as the Syrian civil war, from which all the worst people are benefiting – not only Erdogan, who abandoned the Sunni rebels in the middle of the war, lining up with Russia while reconciling with the Assad regime. It’s also the Islamic State, which will now be able to raise its head. We can assume that the implications of freed ISIS prisoners will soon be felt in terror attacks in the area and possibly across Syria.skip – As Pence pushes Syria cease-fire with Erdogan, Trump undercuts negotiationsAs Pence pushes Syria cease-fire with Erdogan, Trump undercuts negotiations – דלגAs Pence pushes Syria cease-fire with Erdogan, Trump undercuts negotiationsHaaretz
The axis supporting Assad, led by Iran, is also making gains. First, the regime is expanding its sphere of influence in eastern Syria. Second, the Iranians will be pleased with reports of another Trump decision: to remove U.S. troops not just from Kurdish areas but from other areas in eastern Syria.