WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2019) US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday it is good that Syrian President Bashar Assad's government is protecting Kurds on its territory during Turkey's military operation in the northern part of the country.
"Syria is protecting the Kurds, that is good," Trump told reporters during his meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the White House.
Trump noted that all of the players in the conflict in northeastern Syria hate the Islamic State (banned in Russia) terrorist group, adding that Syria and Russia have more reasons to do so than the United States.
He described the current situation in Syria's border region with Turkey as "strategically brilliant" for the United States.
"Our soldiers are out of there, our soldiers are totally safe, they [the parties on the ground] have got to work it out. Maybe they can do it without fighting," he said.
Trump said the US had no more than 28 soldiers in northeastern Syria before its withdrawal, adding that all of them were now safe elswhere.
"We should not be losing lives," he said.
On October 7, Trump announced the withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper then said the United States would pull out an additional 1,000 servicemen from the area near where Turkey launched its military offensive on October 9.
The administration of the Kurdish authority in northern Syria on Sunday announced an agreement under which the Syrian government would send troops to the border with Turkey to help the Kurds repel Ankara's offensive. Under the deal, brokered by Russia, Kurdish forces have begun handing over control of territories to the Syrian national army, including Kobane and Manbij.
