Chicago December 16, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump may play a key role in stopping Turkey’s attacks on Syrian Kurds, a key U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS. Retired General Jack Keane, a senior analyst, said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a major problem, as his forces target Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, who helped the U.S. defeat ISIS.
Keane explained that while President Joe Biden is unlikely to intervene, Trump has the opportunity to stop Turkey’s aggression, pointing to a past phone call between Trump and Erdoğan that ended similar actions.
Keane predicted that one of Trump’s first actions as president could be reaching out to Erdoğan again to prevent further attacks on the Syrian Kurds.
Turkey has long opposed Kurdish groups, seeing them as a threat to its own security. However, the Syrian Kurds, part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), played a crucial role in defeating ISIS.While the U.S. has labeled the PKK, a Kurdish militant group, a terrorist organization, the Kurdish forces in Syria are viewed as partners in the fight against ISIS.
The situation has grown more complicated with the rise of radical Islamist groups, like HTS, in Syria. The U.S. has made direct contact with HTS, a terrorist group, while calling for global support to protect the Kurds. Keane and others urge the world to stand with the Kurds, who have been vital allies in defeating ISIS and maintaining stability in the region.
