Baladi News
The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "The U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria would not be scuppered despite Turkish threats against Washington’s Kurdish allies there."
During a visit to the Iraqi Kurdistan on Wednesday, Pompeo said that the US forces’ withdrawal will not be scuppered despite the attitude of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan protecting the Kurds in Syria, saying that they are having conversation with Turkey to protect the US forces and promising to ensure that the Kurds would still be protected.
Pompeo added, “ It’s important that we do everything we can to make sure that those folks that fought with us are protected and Erdogan has made commitments."
Pompeo’s statements came after Erdogan stated on Tuesday that Turkey completed preparations for military action in the area east of the Euphrates River in Syria.
During a speech on Thursday in the American University in Cairo, Pompeo said that the USA will withdraw its forces from Syria and will continue to fight against the Islamic State (IS).
Earlier on Sunday, the United State National Security Advisor John Bolton stated that the US would not withdraw its forces from Syria until Turkey guarantees that it will not attack the US-allied Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, while Pompeo noted that protecting the Kurds in Syrian must be ensured. These statements provoked the Turkish authorities.
Last Sunday, Erdogan and Donald Trump discussed the US decision to withdraw from Syria and to fight the IS. The discussions followed Turkey's announcement to launch a military operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units in the areas east of the Euphrates River.