The US troops’ retreat from Syria’s north “has begun”, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.
THE RETREAT HAS BEGUN
“After our conversation yesterday [Sunday] evening, as Mr. President [Donald Trump] stated, the retreat has begun,” Erdoğan told reporters at Ankara’s Esenboga International Airport before his departure for a two-day visit to Serbia.
The US on Sunday ruled out any assistance or involvement in Turkey’s planned operation east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria.
In a statement, the White House said Turkey will soon carry out its “long-planned operation” into northern Syria. “The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation, and United States forces, having defeated the ISIS [Daesh] territorial ‘Caliphate,’ will no longer be in the immediate area,” said the statement, using an alternate name for the terror group Daesh.