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Trump's Decision to Withdraw from Syria Is Triumph for Erdogan

Dorian Jones

   ISTANBUL - President Donald Trump's announcement of a U.S. withdrawal
   from northern Syria, paving the way for a Turkish military operation
   against a Kurdish militia in the area, is widely being seen as a
   diplomatic triumph for Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

   Trump made the surprise move in a telephone conversation with Erdogan
   on Sunday.

   Monday, Erdogan welcomed Trump's resetting of Washington policy toward
   Syria, indicating a Turkish operation could be imminent.

   "We have said [in the past] that may suddenly arrive one night. We
   remain determined," Erdogan said.

   For months, Turkish forces have been massed on the Syrian border facing
   off against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Ankara designates
   the YPG, the main force within the SDF, as terrorists, but the group is
   a critical ally in the Washington-led war against the Islamic State
   terror group.

   Under U.S. pressure, Ankara has held off from its plan to create a
   30-kilometer-deep buffer zone to protect its border from the Kurdish
   militia. Erdogan also plans to use the territory to send back up to2
   million Syrian refugees living in Turkey.

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