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Esper defends U.S. withdrawal from northern Syria as Trump decries 'Endless Wars,' touts sanctions on Turkey

Esper defends U.S. withdrawal from northern Syria as Trump decries 'Endless Wars,' touts sanctions on Turkey
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Monday, 14 October, 2019, 10:25

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper defended President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria as Turkey continues to attack the Kurds, while Trump himself denounced getting involved in "endless wars" and talked up sanctions against Turkey.

Turkey has moved further into Syria, attacking the Kurds and leaving civilians dead in the process, while the U.S. is leaving Kurdish allies to fight for themselves․

"We didn’t sign up to fight Turkey, a longstanding NATO ally, on behalf of the SDF," Esper said, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Esper said that roughly 1,000 troops will be withdrawing from the north of the country. A U.S. official told Fox News that forces will not be leaving the country altogether, but will be moving southward.