General Mazloum Abdi, the pre-eminent military leader of the Syrian Kurds, thanked President Donald Trump on Wednesday for his efforts in stopping a Turkish offensive and negotiating a cease-fire.
General Mazloum, who leads the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), issued his statement shortly after the president announced the U.S. was lifting economic sanctions on Turkey in return for its commitment to a “permanent” cease-fire.
That commitment had been announced the day before, when Russia and Turkey agreed to joint patrols within 10 km of the Syria-Turkey border, and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) agreed to withdraw 30 km south of the border.
BREAKING: #SDF Commander thanks @POTUS “for his tireless efforts that stopped the brutal Turkish attack”
Gen Mazloum Abdi also says US promised “long term support at various spheres” pic.twitter.com/CEdwGyEghA
— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) October 23, 2019
General Mazloum’s statement was announced via Twitter by Mustafa Bali, a spokesperson for the SDF.
GEN.Mazloum:
1- I just spoke with President Trump and explained to him the Turkish violations of the truce that would not have been possible without his great efforts— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) October 23, 2019
GEN.Mazloum:
2. We THANK President Trump for his tireless efforts that stopped the brutal Turkish attack and jihadist groups on our people.— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) October 23, 2019
GEN.Mazloum:
3. President Trump promised to maintain partnership with SDF and long-term support at various spheres.
— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) October 23, 2019
President Trump reciprocated soon afterwards:
Thank you General Mazloum for your kind words and courage. Please extend my warmest regards to the Kurdish people. I look forward to seeing you soon. @mustefabali
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2019
Trump hailed the new arrangement on Wednesday, declaring that the U.S. was “willing to take blame and we’re also willing to take credit” for the new cease-fire.
“We are achieving a much more peaceful and stable area between turkey and syria, including a 20-mile wide safe zone,” he said.
The president added: “Turkey, Syria, and all forms of the Kurds have been fighting for centuries. we have done them a great service and we have done a great job for all of them. And now we’re getting out. … Let someone else fight over this long blood-stained sand.”
He added that he had spoken with General Mazloum, who thanked him and assured him that members of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) would remain in prison.
The new arrangement had been accomplished, Trump noted, “without spilling American blood.
“After all of the precious blood and treasure America has poured into the deserts of the Middle East, I am committed to pursuing a different course, one that leads to victory for America,” he said.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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