The New York Times: Pullback Leaves Green Berets Feeling ‘Ashamed,’ and Kurdish Allies Describing ‘Betrayal’

WASHINGTON — American commandos were working alongside Kurdish forces at an outpost in eastern Syria last year when they were attacked by columns of Syrian government tanks and hundreds of troops, including Russian mercenaries. In the next hours, the Americans threw the Pentagon’s arsenal at them, including B-52 strategic bombers. The attack was stopped. That operation, in the middle of the American-led campaign against the Islamic State in...


Author: Eric Schmitt, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Ben Hubbard and Helene Cooper [read full article]

The New York Times: Trump’s Abandonment of the Kurds in Syria Has Other Allies Worried

President Trump’s surprise acquiescence to a Turkish incursion into northern Syria this week has shaken American allies, and not just because it was a betrayal of a loyal partner. What alarmed them even more was his sheer unpredictability. His inconsistent and rapidly shifting positions in the Middle East have injected a new element of chaos into an already volatile region and have left allies guessing where the United...


Author: David D. Kirkpatrick, Ben Hubbard and David M. Halbfinger [read full article]

RUDAW: Five ISIS militants escape north Syrian prison amid Turkish shelling: SDF

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Five Islamic State (ISIS) militants have escaped the prison where they were detained in northern Syria amid Turkish shelling, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced Friday evening, a day after America’s defense chief told Turkey to stop its incursion. “5 ISIS detained militants flee Jirkin prison in Qamishli, as a result of Turkish shelling,” the SDF tweeted. The SDF are holding an estimated 2,000...


Author: Karwan Faidhi Dri [read full article]

Foreign Policy: An Angry Congress Prepares to Rebuke Trump Over Kurds

Bipartisan sanctions legislation targeting Turkey’s leadership places U.S. President Donald Trump on a collision course with congressional Republicans furious over his decision to abandon America’s Kurdish allies in northeastern Syria. Set to be introduced next week when Congress returns from recess, the measure represents a major rebuke of Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops from northern Syria and open the door to a Turkish offensive aimed at clearing...


Author: ELIAS GROLL, ROBBIE GRAMER [read full article]