The United States has not given Turkey a green light to invade Syria, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, but added that Ankara had “legitimate security concerns” and that President Donald Trump made a decision to move American soldiers out of harm’s way.
Speaking to broadcaster PBS in an interview, Pompeo dismissed widespread concerns over the resurgence of ISIS in Syria.
On Wednesday night, Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies entered northeast Syria, the defense ministry said, starting a land offensive against Kurdish militia fighters.
Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish warplanes and artillery pounded Kurdish YPG targets with air strikes and artillery barrages in a cross-border military operation just days after US troops pulled back from the area.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday rejected criticism from fellow Republicans over his decision to pull US troops out of northern Syria, and dismissed worries that captured Islamic State fighters might escape in the chaos of a Turkish attack.
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