President Trump now says the United States "does not endorse" Turkey's military operation in Syria despite recently withdrawing troops from the area.
Trump on Sunday announced after a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that U.S. forces would "no longer be in the immediate area" of northern Syria, which opened up Turkey to launch an assault on areas held by Kurdish fighters, U.S. allies. The step was considered to be an effective endorsement of Turkey's operation.
But now that it has begun, Trump says in a new statement Wednesday the U.S. "does not endorse this attack and has made clear to Turkey that this operation is a bad idea." Trump went on to say that Turkey "has committed to protecting civilians, protecting religious minorities, including Christians, and ensuring no humanitarian crisis takes place — and we will hold them to this commitment."
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Trump has been facing heavy criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for his decision, with Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) once again blasting the Trump administration Wednesday for having "shamelessly abandoned" the United States' Kurdish allies, warning, "this move ensures the reemergence of ISIS." The Washington Post's Aaron Blake notes that Republicans like Graham "were hoping for a forceful statement from Trump about Turkey," but "calling it 'a bad idea' is not that statement."
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