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Headline Roundup October 7th, 2019

President Trump Withdraws U.S. Troops from Syria

Summary from the AllSides News Team

President Donald Trump announced late Sunday that U.S. troops would leave the Turkey-Syria border ahead of a planned Turkish military offensive, saying the U.S. had accomplished his goals in defeating ISIS. The U.S. formally began fighting ISIS on Syrian soil in 2014. Outlets from all sides of the political spectrum reported on bipartisan criticism of Trump's decision, headlined by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) disapproval; left-leaning outlets focused more on Republican criticisms, while some right-leaning outlets concentrated on Trump's subsequent defense of the decision. Some reported late Monday on alleged Turkish attacks on Kurdish and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) troops following the withdrawal.

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Syrian regime claims Turkey is ALREADY striking Kurdish targets as U.S. troops withdraw, Republican fury at 'betrayal' grows, and Donald Trump claims he has told Turkish leader: 'Any of our people get hurt - big trouble'
Syrian regime claims Turkey is ALREADY striking Kurdish targets as U.S. troops withdraw, Republican fury at 'betrayal' grows, and Donald Trump claims he has told Turkish leader: 'Any of our people get hurt - big trouble'

Daily Mail

News

The regime of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad claimed Monday through state-run media that Turkey began launching aerial attacks across the border, as American troops are obeying President Donald Trump's order to withdraw to the United States.

Trump defended his decision as unconfirmed reports of airstrikes blanketed Twitter, largely traceable back to unverified amateur video. Syrian government-run SANA TV called it 'Turkish aggression' targeting the 'north-eastern countryside' of Syria where some Kurdish forces are based.

Claims of airstrikes are likely to ramp up military tensions and benefit both Syria and Russia,...

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Chaos in Syria, Washington after Trump call with Erdogan unleashed Turkish military
Chaos in Syria, Washington after Trump call with Erdogan unleashed Turkish military

NBC News Digital

News

WASHINGTON — American forces in northeastern Syria received an urgent, unexpected alert early Monday morning to pull back from their posts.

"They were told, 'We're departing the field,'" said current and former senior U.S. defense officials.

At 3 a.m. local time, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Gen. Mazloum Kobane, also received a phone call from a senior U.S. official telling him to get on a video teleconference with an American military commander who informed him President Donald Trump had ordered U.S. troops to withdraw.

"This decision, this is...

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McConnell Urges Trump to Keep U.S. Troops in Northern Syria
McConnell Urges Trump to Keep U.S. Troops in Northern Syria

Wall Street Journal (News)

News

WASHINGTON—Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged President Trump to “exercise American leadership” and keep U.S. troops in northern Syria, joining a chorus of Republican and Democratic lawmakers who warned the president against withdrawing from the area.

“American interests are best served by American leadership, not by retreat or withdrawal,” the Kentucky Republican said. He didn’t directly criticize Mr. Trump, but reminded him that the Senate voted in January to keep U.S. troops in Syria, in reaction to a previous withdrawal plan announced by the White House.

The remarks by Mr....

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