3 devastating quotes about Trump's Kurdish betrayal, by U.S. Special Forces
President Trump's decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which has given Turkey an opening to invade and launch an offensive against Kurdish forces in the region, has garnered a lot of criticism. Those critics include some members of the U.S. Special Forces who have worked closely with Kurdish soldiers over the years in a joint fight against the Islamic State.
Now, as the U.S. withdraws, Kurdish forces have struck an agreement with the Syrian government in the hopes of staving off Turkish forces. Here are three recent quotes from U.S. troops who are struggling to understand how things wound up the way they did.
1. "It's a stain on the American conscience," said one Army officer speaking on the condition of anonymity told The New York Times, referring to the U.S.'s Kurdish allies. "They trusted us and we broke that trust."
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2. One U.S. Special Forces soldier criticized Trump directly in a phone call with Fox News last week.
3. "I'm ashamed," another officer told the Times. The officer echoed retired four-star Marine Gen. John Allen, who told CNN "There is blood on Trump's hands for abandoning our Kurdish allies."
Read more at The New York Times and Mediaite.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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