Pentagon chief Mark Esper announced on Sunday the withdrawal of up to 1,000 US troops from northern Syria - almost all forces in the country - evoking an "untenable situation" for troops "who may be caught in a bind. "between the Kurds and the Turks.
"A situation caused by the Turks, by President Erdogan"
The withdrawal concerns northern Syria, where "are the majority of our forces," said Esper, hinting that it was not a total withdrawal from the country. "This is a very dramatic situation there, a situation caused by the Turks, by President Erdogan," the US minister said. "In the last 24 hours, we have learned that they are likely to extend their attack further south than originally planned and to the west," Esper said.
He also claimed that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was seeking "an agreement with the Syrians and Russians" to launch the counterattack against the Turks in northern Syria. The Kurds later announced on Sunday night an agreement with Damascus on the deployment of the Syrian army near the Turkish border.