Abandoned Kurdish Allies to Turkish Invasion
After a phone call with Turkey's Erdogan, Trump abruptly withdrew U.S. forces from northern Syria, greenlighting a Turkish military assault on Kurdish allies who had lost 11,000 fighters battling ISIS alongside American troops.
On October 6, 2019, following a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the White House announced that U.S. forces would withdraw from northern Syria, effectively abandoning the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — America's most critical ally in the fight against ISIS.
The Kurdish forces had been the ground troops in the U.S.-led campaign against ISIS, suffering approximately 11,000 casualties fighting alongside American special forces. In return, the United States had committed to their protection.
Turkey launched a military offensive within days. The consequences were immediate and devastating:
- Kurdish civilians were killed and displaced by Turkish forces and allied militias
- Hundreds of ISIS prisoners escaped from Kurdish-guarded facilities
- Russia and the Assad regime moved into territory previously secured by U.S. and Kurdish forces
- American credibility with allies worldwide suffered lasting damage
The decision was condemned by members of both parties. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it "a grave strategic mistake." Even Trump's most reliable Congressional allies publicly criticized the withdrawal. Special Forces soldiers on the ground reported being ashamed of the betrayal.