US President Donald Trump has again announced sanctions against Ankara if Turkish forces open fire on Kurdish fighters who are retreating from the north of Syria where a security zone should be established, reports Tanjug.
"Turkey fully understands that it must not fire on the Kurds as they withdraw from what will become a safe zone into nearby areas. I do not need to repeat that there will be massive sanctions for violating the agreement," Trump tweeted.
He stated that everything is going well, that the Kurds have provided Islamic State fighters and that Turkey is ready to provide support, as if the oil fields were also provided.
He added that American soldiers leave Syria for other areas and then return home.
"We were supposed to be there for 30 days, and that was 10 years ago. When these learned fools who have misnamed the Middle East for 20 years asked what we get from the deal, I simply say - oil and our soldiers coming home , and the Islamic State is secured," Trump wrote.
Americans remain in Syrian oil fields
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said today that the US will leave more troops and armored vehicles in eastern Syria to prevent Islamic State extremists from capturing oil fields currently under the control of the Syrian Kurds.
Esper stated that tanks will most likely be deployed there as well.
He confirmed that the US would send armored vehicles to the area but declined to provide details on the number of troops.
That statement, given at a conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, represents a new change in the increasingly volatile American attitude toward forces in Syria.
President Donald Trump claimed last Sunday that all 1.000 US troops would leave Syria.
NATO will provide aid to Turkey, despite the operation in Syria
The NATO alliance led by the United States of America has decided to continue providing military support to its ally Turkey, despite dissatisfaction with its actions in Syria and the agreement on the border with Russia, five senior diplomats told Reuters, reports Tanjug.
Spain has previously threatened to withdraw its Patriot missiles from Turkey in protest at Turkey's cross-border offensive, which NATO allies say threatens the fight against Islamic State extremists.
At a meeting of NATO defense ministers held yesterday, the alliance's first high-level meeting since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched his operation in Syria on October 9, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Madrid would not withdraw.
Spain will offer Ankara a six-month extension if it asks for it.
The change was part of a tone shift that shows that, despite alarm over Turkey's behavior in Syria, NATO is determined to "hold" Turkey to its side, diplomats said.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that his country has the courage to establish agreements with both Russia and the USA, and only a small group of countries, led by France, strongly criticized it.
"There is a concerted effort to make sure things don't get worse," a NATO diplomat told Reuters.
"Turkey is too important for us to lose," he said.
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