The primary combatants are the SNA, mercenaries supported by Turkey, and the SDF, although it now seems clear how much the absence of US forces has allowed the continuing rather than paused carnage. 300,000 people have been displaced.
And then there’s all that Trumpian disinformation, often repeating Turkish talking points.
Trump has framed this conflict as both having started under Obama and one that’s hundreds of years old.
Facts First:While Trump can argue that Obama’s Syria policy led to the current state of affairs, Obama obviously did not “start” the conflict between Turkey and the Kurds or the conflict between Turkey and the PKK in particular. According to experts, the origins of the conflict between the Kurds and Turkey can be traced to shortly after the First World War.
The day a ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurds was announced, Trump claimed people had tried to make that deal with Turkey for 10 years but were not able to. Then he said it had been 15 years or more.
Facts First:The Syrian Civil War is less than 10 years old, Trump made a narrow deal specifically related to Turkey’s offensive this month, and no previous president had sought to offer Turkey such concessionary terms.
Kurdish commander Gen Mazlum Kobane makes an urgent appeal, telling @NBCNews Syria's Kurds face what could become “the biggest ethnic cleansing operation of the 21st century… happening in front of the American army's eyes.” He blames Turkey and Trump. Coming up @NBCNightlyNews
Erdogan flagrantly ignoring ceasefire & the Kurds literally begging President Trump for help after his unforgivable betrayal. Allowing the ethnic cleansing of a key American partner is stomach churning. https://t.co/Axdn82YD65
Fmr. Sec. of Homeland Security Napolitano on Syria ceasefire: "I think it was a great day for Turkey, and a great day for Russia. It wasn’t a great day for the US, and certainly not a great day for our allies, the Kurds."https://t.co/nd1lXePhj6
We can't ignore that the president's decision to abandon the Kurds, despite widespread backlash, could have had something to do with the property he owns and profits from in Istanbul https://t.co/qsnQSMW9eQ
"You're not mopping fast enough. (Laughter) That's a socialist mop. (Laughter and applause) Grab a mop -- let's get to work." - Barack Obama (2009); "Soyez réalistes, demandez l'impossible!"
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