The United States is set to pull back of 1000 troops from northeastern Syria as the risk of confrontation with Turkey-backed fighters escalates. The strategic withdrawal is to move away from accelerating Turkish incursion into Syria.
The US forces are withdrawing to ensure that they are not caught in the crossfire between opposing Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebel fighters under the banner of the Syrian National Army and the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria on October 9 following Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops from two outposts along the Syria-Turkey border two days earlier.
The withdrawal comes as Syrian outcry of a probable ethnic cleansing after leading female Kurdish politician was executed by Turkey-backed rebels during the weekend. Turkey alongside the rebels has been increasing the radius of the invasion further into Syria than the agreed buffer zone a move that has raised human rights issues. Turkey has since been slapped with arms embargoes from Europe and to pressure President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against ordering an invasion of Syria.
