Erdogan announced the start of the campaign, which followed an abrupt decision Sunday by Trump that American troops would step aside to allow for the operation. After Erdogan announced the offensive, Trump called the operation 'a bad idea.'
1 / 15Turkey US SyriaShortly after the Turkish operation inside Syria had started, Turkish soldier stand at the border with Syria in Akcakale, Sanliurfa province, southeastern Turkey, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. Turkey launched a military operation Wednesday against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria after U.S. forces pulled back from the area, with a series of airstrikes hitting a town on Syria's northern border.
At least one member of the Kurdish-led force known as the Syrian Democratic Forces was killed in the Turkish bombardment, Kurdish activists and a Syria war monitor said. He said that Turkish forces, with Ankara-backed Syrian fighters known as the Syrian National Army, had begun to eradicate what he called"the threat of terror" against Turkey.
U.S. critics said he was sacrificing an ally, the Syrian Kurdish forces, and undermining Washington's credibility. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, told"Fox & Friends" that if Trump"follows through with this, it would be the biggest mistake of his presidency." German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas condemned the offensive, saying it will"further destabilize the region and strengthen IS." The operation also was criticized by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Erdogan discussed the incursion by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Erdogan's office said he told Putin the military action"will contribute to the peace and stability" and allow for a political process in Syria.
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