Turkey Invades Syria, and Kurdish Fighters Who Helped Defeat ISIS Are Trapped

Published: Oct. 9, 2019

A Turkish forces truck transporting armored personnel carriers, crosses the border with Syria in Karkamis, Gaziantep province, southeastern Turkey, Oct. 15, 2019. Turkey defied growing condemnation from its NATO allies to press ahead with its invasion of northern Syria on Oct. 15, shelling suspected Kurdish positions near the border amid reports that Syrian Kurds had retaken a key town.

A Global Dispatches Podcast

Overview

Donald Trump has ordered a small U.S. military contingent to withdraw from Kurdish controlled parts of Northeastern Syria in advance of a likely Turkish military operation. The situation is rapidly evolving and in this episode of the Global Dispatches podcast an expert on Kurdish politics and diplomacy, Morgan Kaplan, provides some background and context for understanding events as they unfold.

Recommended citation

Goldberg, Mark Leon and Morgan L. Kaplan. “Turkey Invades Syria, and Kurdish Fighters Who Helped Defeat ISIS Are Trapped.” UN Dispatch, October 9, 2019