Wednesday, October 9, 2019
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1/ Turkey launched a bombing campaign against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria following Trump's decision to abruptly withdraw U.S. forces from the region. The attacks are aimed at crushing Kurdish militias, which have been fighting for their independence from Turkey. The Turkish bombing campaign, which is being conducted in coordination with the Syrian National Army, immediately drew criticism and calls for restraint from European leaders. Kurdish-led forces in the area have been key U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his military is targeting both Kurdish fighters and ISIS extremists. "The Turkish Armed Forces," Erdogan tweeted, "together with the Syrian National Army, just launched #OperationPeaceSpring against PKK/YPG and Daesh [Isis] terrorists in northern Syria." (New York Times / Associated Press / NPR / The Guardian)
2/ Trump invited Erdogan to visit the White House a day after giving Turkey the green light to attack the Kurds. Trump defended his decision on Twitter and insisted that "in no way have we abandoned the Kurds," whom he described as "special people and wonderful fighters." Trump also brought up the trade relationship between the U.S. and Turkey. "So many people conveniently forget," he tweeted, "that Turkey is a big trading partner of the United States, in fact they make the structural steel frame for our F-35 Fighter Jet." Trump said Erdogan will visit the White House on Nov. 13. (Bloomberg / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / MarketWatch / Washington Post / MSNBC)
Lindsey Graham: "Nobody besides Trump believes the president's claim that the U.S. is not abandoning the Kurds." Graham said Trump's decision on Syria represents the biggest mistake of his presidency. He also said Trump is putting his presidency at risk by going against the advice of his national security team. "If I hear the president say one more time, 'I made a campaign promise to get out of Syria,' I'm going to throw up," Graham said. (