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US ‘betrayed’ Syria’s Kurds, Moscow says
MOSCOW, Oct 23, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The Kremlin on Wednesday accused
Washington of betraying the Kurds by withdrawing its forces from northern
Syria and leaving allies alone in the face of a Turkish offensive.
To international surprise, US President Donald Trump announced in early
October that American forces would withdraw from Syria, paving the way for
Turkey to push into the border area against the Kurdish People’s Protection
Units (YPG) militia it considers “terrorists”.
“The US were the closest allies for the Kurds for several years. In the end
the US abandoned the Kurds, effectively betraying them,” Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.
“They prefer to leave the Kurds at the border and practically force them to
fight the Turks,” he said.
Turkey paused its offensive into Syria on October 17. On Tuesday evening,
it announced that the offensive would be halted following a retreat of
Kurdish forces from border zones.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, both involved in the conflict from opposite sides, struck a deal on
northern Syria on Tuesday.
It will ensure Kurdish forces withdraw from areas close to Syria’s border
with Turkey and set up joint Russian and Turkish patrols around a Turkish-
controlled “safe zone” inside the country.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1422 hrs