Defense secretary says troops in Syria will 'temporarily' go to Iraq before returning t... - 0 views
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Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday that American troops ordered out of northern Syria will "temporarily" go to Iraq before they return to the US, and that President Donald Trump has not yet approved a plan to keep some troops in Syria to protect oil fields.
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"We will temporarily reposition in Iraq pursuant to bringing the troops home. And so it's just one part of a continuing phase, but eventually those troops are going to come home." The Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement Tuesday that US troops withdrawing from Syria may enter the Kurdish region of Iraq and then leave the country, but that they do not have permission to remain in Iraq.
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Hours before the ceasefire brokered last week is set to run out, Esper told Amanpour that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces "are making good faith efforts to withdraw from the area in time" and that "if they need a little bit more time they should be given a little bit more time." The secretary said that reports he's seen in the last day have shown that the ceasefire "is largely holding," though there "is some skirmishing here and there."
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Esper said that he thinks Turkey should be held accountable for alleged war crimes committed by Turkish-backed proxy forces against the Kurds in Syria, allegations that Esper said he assumes are accurate.
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"I've seen the reports as well, we're trying to monitor them. They are horrible and if accurate and I assume that they are accurate, they would be war crimes," Esper said, adding, "I think all of those need to be followed up on. I think those responsible should be held accountable, in many cases it would be the government of Turkey