Turkey's Erdogan Seeks Putin's Support as Ceasefire With Kurds Expires
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JERUSALEM, Israel - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Sochi Tuesday hours before the ceasefire between Turkish and Kurdish forces in northeast Syria is set to expire.
Ankara agreed with Washington on Thursday to a five-day ceasefire, during which the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic forces are expected to evacuate the area. The SDF fought alongside US solider in the fight against ISIS, but Erdogan believes them to be terrorists connected to the PKK in Turkey.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the cease-fire, specifically in the town of Ras al-Ain where the fighting is the most intense.
Russia and Turkey are expected to discuss the removal of Kurds from the Syrian towns of Manbij and Kobane. Russia has traditionally opposed operations into what it believes is Syria's sovereign territory and has already deployed Russian troops to Manbij and Kobane.
Before departing for Russia, Erdogan told reporters that Turkey would continue its invasion into Syria unless the Kurds give up their land and withdraw.
"If the promises given to our country by the United States are not kept, we will continue our operation from where we left off with greater determination," he said.
In an interview with broadcaster Kanal 7, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara does not want to see a single Kurdish fighter left in the planned "safe zone" Turkey seeks to establish after they leave.
International Community Condemns Erdogan
European Council President Donald Tusk on Tuesday condemned Turkey's actions and called on Erdogan to pull his troops out of the region.
He said "no one is fooled by the so-called cease-fire" agreement, and that Turkey, "needs to end its military action permanently, withdraw its forces and respect international humanitarian law."
Germany's Defense Minister separately proposed the establishment of an internationally controlled security zone in Syria instead of Turkey having sole control over the region.
Syrian state media reported Tuesday that President Bashar al-Assad's forces entered new areas in the Hassakeh province as part of an agreement they reached with the Kurds.
The areas that the Syrian government has agreed to enter are outside the cease-fire agreement reached between the U.S. and Turkey.
Assad visited the territory captured from Turkey-backed Syrian fighters in the northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday, where he called Erdogan a "thief."
Troops Pull Out as Syrian Accuse Trump of Betrayal
Meanwhile, US troops pulling out of Syria were supposed to relocate to Iraq, but Iraq's military said Tuesday that the American soldiers do not have permission to stay in the country.
The statement seems to contradict what US Defense Secretary Mark Esper who said he had spoken to his Iraqi counterpart to relocate more than 700 soldiers out of Syria and into Western Iraq.
While the troops left Syria, a crowd threw potatoes at them and accused President Donald Trump of abandoning his allies.
"Thanks for US people, but Trump betrayed us," one protestor said as US military vehicles drove past.
Encouraging the ongoing genocide campaign is by far the greatest insult to our people so far. With all due respect, Mr. President, what makes you think you have the right to drive millions of Kurds out of their homes and resettle them elsewhere? Isn't this ethnic cleansing? https://t.co/FZ45jRcqie
— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) October 20, 2019
Trump ordered the troops to pull out of Syria and leave their Kurdish allies to fight Turkey on their own. It's a decision SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said opened the door for a "genocide campaign" that endangers the lives of millions of Kurds, thousands of Syrian Christians, and other minorities.
Encouraging the ongoing genocide campaign is by far the greatest insult to our people so far. With all due respect, Mr. President, what makes you think you have the right to drive millions of Kurds out of their homes and resettle them elsewhere? Isn't this ethnic cleansing? https://t.co/FZ45jRcqie
— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali
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