US President-elect Donald Trump intends to withdraw US troops from northern Syria to prevent involvement in conflicts between Turkish forces and Kurdish fighters, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed on Wednesday during a live broadcast with commentator Tucker Carlson.
Kennedy, who endorsed Trump in August after suspending his independent presidential campaign, recounted a conversation with Trump about the safety of some 500 US troops stationed near the Syrian-Turkish border.
Trump wants American troops "out" of Syria-Turkey border
Robert F. Kennedy Jr:
When I was on the plane the other day with President Trump, we were talking about the Middle East, and he took a piece of paper and he drew on it. Map of the Middle East with all the nations on it,… pic.twitter.com/nwlhNf6Sso
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 7, 2024
According to Kennedy, who is expected to play a major role in the new administration, Trump expressed concern that these troops could become “cannon fodder” amid escalating tensions between Turkey and Kurdish groups in the region.
The statement is consistent with Trump’s previous actions regarding the US military presence in Syria.
In December 2018 Trump abruptly announced a withdrawal of US forces and declared the defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the region. However, this decision was criticized as abandoning Kurdish allies and enabling Turkish military operations against them. A limited number of troops remains in place.
Ankara views the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), a key component of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey, the US and the EU designate as a terrorist organization. This has led to Turkish military operations targeting Kurdish-held areas in Syria and elevated concerns about regional stability and the safety of US personnel.
In October 2019 Turkey initiated a military operation into northern Syria, targeting Kurdish forces allied with the US in the fight against ISIL. This incursion led to Turkey controlling swaths of Syrian land and drew widespread international criticism.
Then-president Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from the area was perceived as tacit approval of Turkey’s actions at the time.