Friday, October 18, 2019

Syrian Ceasefire


Turkey will withdraw from the safe-zone to allow withdrawal of forces on both sides.

On 10/17/19, Turkey and US agreed to a peaceful resolution of the conflict that Turkey initiated on 10/10/19. Turkey and the US will ensure that the issues will be settled with agreements that include Syria and the Kurds. US will remove sanctions on Turkey when the agreement is completed. The US will engage diplomatically and with aid to refugees. Syrian troops are happy to withdraw.

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Syria ceasefire a ‘great day for civilization’

Trump removed US troops on 10/16/19 and sent VP Pence and Secretary Pompeo to meet with Turkish President Erdogan.

I agreed with Trump on removing US troops from affected border areas when Turkey initiated military action. US troops removed ISIS from Syria and has completed its mission and should come home. The border issue is between Syria and Turkey. US has no strategic interest in Syria that would require a US troop presence. Trump is fulfilling his campaign promise to stop wasting money on military foreign aid where we can.

Trump is consistent in his respect for national sovereignty and his recognition that nation-states are responsible for themselves. Trump holds the governments of other countries responsible for working on behalf of their citizens. Trump will use economic sanctions against governments who threaten or invade neighboring countries without due process of elections by citizens to be annexed. We are replacing war with economic sanctions. Citizens with rogue governments are responsible for replacing their leaders with valid, peaceful elections.

Trump is expecting Turkey and Syria to secure the 11,000 ISIS fighters and deal with them. Trump is expecting Syria with Russian support to secure Syrian oil fields and maintain order in Syria. Trump is expecting the Syrian government to work with Syrian Kurds to ensure peace in Syria.

There are 3 Syrian-Kurdish towns in the 22 mile buffer zone these are Manbij, where the US base was, Tal Abyad and Ras al-ain.

Turkish troops have taken control of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain border towns of Syria, -10/14/19.

9,000 ISIS fighters are being held in a POW camp outside Ayn Issa in central Northern Syria near the border and the Turkish cease fire has allowed the Kurds to return to guard the camp.

Syria is 7000 miles from the US and ISIS fighters are not likely to escape to attack the US if we secure our border and ports of entry.

The population of Syria is 17 million and 2 million are Kurds. Syria had a land area of 151,000 square miles. The Kurds occupy and control about 40% of the Syrian land area.

Kurds migrated from Kurdistan in Northern Iraq to Syria and Turkey.  The Syrian and Turkish governments viewed the Kurds as a “problem”.

Kurds in Turkey and Syria have menaced Turkey with terror attacks for decades. Kurdish fighters in Syria are superior to the Syrian military and hold Syrian territory. This peace process is designed to end hostilities with negative consequences for failure. This is a big win for Trump. See Whitehouse post below.

Last night, President Donald J. Trump sent a delegation of senior American officials—including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien—to Ankara to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan face-to-face. And just hours ago, the Administration was able to deliver a major announcement.

“Earlier this week, President Trump took decisive action to call on Turkish forces to stand down, and to end the violence, and to agree to negotiations,” Vice President Pence said during a press conference from Turkey.

“Today, I’m proud to reportthanks to the strong leadership of President Donald Trump and the strong relationship between President Erdogan and Turkey and the United States of America—that today the United States and Turkey have agreed to a cease fire in Syria.”

President Trump’s priorities are clear: American soldiers can no longer be sacrificed in endless wars across the Middle East. That’s one of the most important promises he made to the American people as a candidate, and he will always honor it.

Instead of American lives, the President is using “tough love” to bring other countries to the table and achieve positive outcomes. “Obviously the sanctions and tariffs [on Turkey] were going to be very biting. I’m glad we don’t have to do it,” he said.

The results of today’s negotiations are important for our partners in Syria:

Turkey will pause Operation Peace Spring to allow for the withdrawal of mostly Kurdish YPG forces from the 20-mile safe zone for 120 hours.

All military operations under Operation Peace Spring will be paused, and Operation Peace Spring will be halted entirely on completion of the withdrawal.

Turkey agrees to taking no military action against the town of Kobani.

Turkey and the United States mutually commit to stifling any ISIS activities in northeast Syria, which includes coordination on ISIS detention facilities.

“It’s a great day for the United States. It’s a great day for Turkey. It’s a great day for our partners,” President Trump said. “It’s really a great day for civilization.”


Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

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