Mark Esper acknowledged that the U.S. military was caught between the Syrian and Turkish armies.
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the U.S. military in Syria was trapped between the Turkish forces conducting an operation against Kurdish forces and the Syrian army. He stated this on Fox News on October 13.
“American troops were trapped between the Syrian army moving north to repulse the Turkish army, which is moving south”, – the Pentagon chief said.
He called the current situation “terrible”.
At the same time, Esper noted that the United States “did not sign up” to fight with Turkey in order to protect the Syrian Kurds. He also admitted that Washington does not have enough forces in the region to stop the Turkish offensive.
Earlier it was reported that Kurdish groups have concluded an agreement with the Syrian authorities on joint actions against Turkey. As part of the agreement, the regime of Bashar al-Assad sent the military to the north of the country.
Recall, October 9, Turkey launched a new operation in Syria called the Source of Peace.
Its goal is to create a buffer zone in the north of the republic where refugees can return. Ankara intends to clear this territory of the soldiers of the Kurdish militias.
Due to the ongoing Turkish offensive in the region, the Pentagon announced the evacuation of about 1,000 US troops from northern Syria.