After Trump Withdrawal Order, Kurds Hurl Abuses & Trash At Retreating U.S. Troops

President Donald Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria was a bombshell for the Kurds. The Kurds, who were allies of the U.S. in the fight against ISIS for several years, feel that they have been stabbed in the back by Trump.

The local autonomy granted to the Kurds by the Syrian President Bashar-al Assad a few years ago has been taken away from them. A truce brokered a few days ago by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to satisfy Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has led to the territory of Kurdish Syria being transferred to Turkey.

This week, U.S. armored vehicles and trucks were pelted with stones and also rotten fruits and vegetables by infuriated Kurds hurled insults at U.S. troops as they pulled out of Kurdish areas.

Qamlishi, the regional capital of Kurdish Syria, was evacuated by U.S. troops. The retreating U.S. forces are now heading towards the Kurdish-dominated territory of Iraq. Many Kurds from North-Eastern Syria are also seeking refuge in that part of Iraq as they fear Turkish aggression.

Trump has said that the few remaining U.S. troops in Syria are there only to guard oil installations and that the U.S. has no obligation to protect the Kurds. Trump has also lifted the sanctions on Turkey, which he initially threatened would ruin the Turkish economy.

Article by Rajeet Guha