JERUSALEM – President-elect Trump could be the key to stopping Turkey's reported destruction of the pro-U.S. Syrian Kurdish community, says Fox News senior strategic analyst and retired four-star general Jack Keene. tells FOX News' Mark Levine on “Life, Liberty & Levin” Saturday.
“Erdogan is the real problem here. He has corridors in northern Syria. Erdogan supported al-Golani, the radical leader who deposed Assad. “But what is happening now? Is he now attacking the Syrian Kurds that we support in eastern Syria? ”
“Biden is not going to do anything on this issue, but President Trump has a big chance. I know that President Trump has negotiated with President Erdoğan on the same issue before,” Keene said. As a result of the phone call, that stopped.” This is the conversation he had with President Erdoğan. ”
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A masked Islamic State terrorist holds an ISIS flag in 2015. (History/Universal Images Group, via Getty Images)
Keene said Trump's first phone call after taking office will likely be with Erdogan, “if we haven't already started talking.”
He said the Kurds' motivation in eastern Syria was not to seize Turkish territory, but to ensure the defeat of ISIS and “so that they don't rise up again,” adding that the U.S. is “not willing to take action in a consequential manner.” There is no need to get involved in Syria, other than to protect our own interests and ensure that ISIS could rise again in eastern Syria. ”
While world leaders are primarily focused on the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime, Turkey's powerful ruler Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who helped defeat the terrorist movement ISIS on Syria's southern border, It mobilized forces loyal to the government to eradicate Kurdish fighters in the zone.
President Trump speaks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the Oval Office of the White House on November 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Alarm bells are ringing about the dire situation of Kurds in Syria.
“Turkey has become too aggressive. If it is allowed to move freely in Syria, it may secretly carry out ethnic cleansing,'' said Professor of General History at Israel's Bar-Ilan University and a leading expert on Turkey. one Efrat Aviv warned. said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
In an apparent effort to modify the jihadist movement, Ahmad al-Shalah, leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the US-designated terrorist movement that played a decisive role in overthrowing the Assad regime, “Kurds are a part of the nation, just like us, and have suffered great injustice, but with the fall of the regime, the injustice they faced may end. ”
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U.S. forces provide military training to YPG/SDF members in Syria, August 18, 2023. (Hedir Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Mr. Ahmad Al Shara was until recently known as “Abu Mohammad'' Al-Golani is allied with Türkiye. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US had “direct contact” with HTS, even though it is an outlawed terrorist organization.
Commander Mazloum Abdi of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday appealed to Kurdish political parties in northeastern Syria (Rojava) to form a united front.
“Today, Kurdish national unity in Syria has become a historical necessity in response to the challenges of this critical moment. We urge all Kurdish political parties to put aside partisan interests and engage in dialogue. We call on you to take seriously the national call for unity,” Abdi wrote to X. .
Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.S.C.) told “I am ready to do this.” Again in a bipartisan manner.
“Kurdish forces, which helped annihilate ISIS under President Trump's watch, should not be allowed to be exposed to the threat of Islamic extremists who have occupied Turkey and Syria.”
Dutch parliament also intervened Last week, he appealed for the protection of Syrian Kurds and called on the government to insist on an end to Turkey's attacks on them.
President Biden and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan meet during the G7 Summit in Fasano, Italy on June 14, 2024. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) announced on sunday “We face grave threats and dangers and call on the global coalition and the whole world to unite with us in defending Kobani,” he said in response to continued attacks by pro-Turkish forces.
“The world now owes a debt to Kobani and its fighters, and it is time to stand with Kobani,” the statement continued, adding, “We call on the World Union and freedom-loving individuals to stand together and defend the dignity and humanity of the region.” I call on you to protect yourselves.”
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara on December 13, 2024. (Getty Images)
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the former head of Turkey's formidable intelligence agency MIT, spoke in Jordan on Sunday about his country's views on Kurdish political and military organizations, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the People's Defense Units. (YPG): “We are under threat from Iraq and Syria. For the past decade, the PKK has taken advantage of the chaos in Syria to try to regroup within the SDF organization. We are fighting against PKK/YPG terrorism. We continue to target them wherever they are.”
He added: “Our aim is to distinguish the Syrian Kurds from the terrorist organization PKK/YPG. We support the efforts of the legitimate representatives of the Syrian Kurds to assert their rights in Damascus.” he added.
The YPG is a major US allied force that helped defeat ISIS. The United States classified the PKK as a foreign terrorist organization. The YPG is affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish group in Syria.
The Turkish government has become increasingly vocal against the Kurds. Minister of Defense of Türkiye Yashar Güler said on Sunday. “Our main agenda is disbanding the PKK/YPG.”
Displaced Kurds leave a refugee camp in northern Aleppo and seek refuge in Afrin on December 4, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/DIA Images/Abaca/Sipa USA(Sipa via AP Images)
Incoming Congressman Abraham Hamadeh (R-Ariz.), whose parents are Syrian immigrants, told Fox News Digital, “I appreciate recent Turkish airstrikes against Syrian Kurds and coverage of Hamas operatives in Turkey. It is clear that our alliance must be local.” Turkey has been a strategic partner for decades, sharing mutual respect and common goals, but accepting an organization like Hamas without clear steps to dismantle it undermines that relationship. Become. Turkey must seize this opportunity to demonstrate that it is committed to fighting terrorism, not enabling it. ”
Asked by Fox News Digital if the United States was considering sanctions against Turkey, a State Department spokesperson said, “Generally speaking, we are not considering sanctions in advance.”
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The State Department on Friday referred Fox News Digital to comments made Friday after Blinken's meeting with Fidan in Turkey.
“Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of cooperation between the United States and Turkey in the global coalition to defeat ISIS in Syria,” the statement read in part.
