EXCLUSIVE: US military completes pullback from northeast Syria, Esper says

News Service
09:155/12/2019, Thursday
U: 5/12/2019, Thursday
REUTERS
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper delivers remarks before ringing the closing NASDAQ bell for Veterans Day in New York, New York, November 11, 2019. Picture taken November 11, 2019. DoD/Lisa Ferdinando/Handout via REUTERS
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper delivers remarks before ringing the closing NASDAQ bell for Veterans Day in New York, New York, November 11, 2019. Picture taken November 11, 2019. DoD/Lisa Ferdinando/Handout via REUTERS


NO MOVEMENT ON TURKEY S-400S

Trump softened his pullout plans for Syria after backlash from Congress, including among key Republicans, who say he cleared the way for a long-threatened Turkish operation against YPG terrorists who had been America's top allies in the battle against Daesh.

NATO diplomats worry that Turkey, a NATO member since 1952 and a critical ally in the Middle East, has increasingly acted unilaterally, launching its operation in Syria against U.S.-backed forces and buying advanced Russian S-400 air defenses.

Washington says the S-400 system is incompatible with NATO air defenses, poses a threat to Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 stealth fighter jets and announced in July it was removing Turkey from the F-35 program. It has also warned of possible U.S. sanctions.

After summit talks between Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Esper suggested Ankara had not budged yet on the S-400 issue.

"There's no movement at this point," Esper said.

Still, after lobbying by NATO allies, including the United States, Erdogan backed off from a threat to block defense plans for the Baltic states and Poland unless allies declared Kurdish fighters in Syria terrorists.

"I think it was a positive move forward," Esper said, of the change in position by Turkey.

"They've been a valuable part of NATO for decades, from the earliest days. So we got to keep them in the fold."

#Turkey
#Erdoğan
#S-400
#Syria
#troops