In Washington, Trump told reporters at the White House that “we are pulling back in Syria. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG, a terrorist group linked to an insurgency within its own borders. ‘There are objectives that we want to accomplish that condition the withdrawal,” Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem. Bolton said the U.S. has asked the Kurds to “stand fast now” and refrain from seeking protection from Russia or Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. In comments carried by the official Anadolu news agency, Ibrahim Kalin said the Kurdish fighters oppressed Syrian Kurds and pursued a separatist agenda under the guise of fighting IS.

Source: Washington Post January 06, 2019 15:17 UTC