Washington is poised to sanction Turkey as Syria offensive escalates: Report

The United States is poised to impose sanctions on Turkey as soon as Monday in response to the nation’s military offensive in Syria and reported atrocities against American-allied Kurds, according to people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported.

In a related development, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Monday that he had spoken with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about Turkey’s offensive in northern Syria, and that she supported bipartisan sanctions against Ankara.

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Graham is usually a vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump, but he has repeatedly publicly condemned Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from northeastern Syria, which was quickly followed by a Turkish invasion to drive out Kurdish-led forces who have long been Washington’s allies.

“Just spoke with Speaker Pelosi regarding congressional action on Turkey’s incursion of Syria,” Graham tweeted.

“Speaker supports bipartisan sanctions against Turkey’s outrages in Syria. She also believes we should show support for Kurdish allies and is concerned about the reemergence of ISIS,” he said.

with Reuters