Trump would be “talking to Turkey about assuring [the Turks] that they will have a buffer zone,” given “their concerns about the YPG Kurds,” Graham said, adding, “You got the Kurds that we need to be concerned about… They stepped up when nobody else would, and [the President] is very aware of that problem.”
Graham’s meeting with Trump follows the U.S. announcement of a full withdrawal from war-torn Syria earlier this month, amid plans by Ankara to start a third military operation into the country aimed at the YPG Kurdish militia, which Turkey designates a terrorist organisation and extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Washington may make some changes to its military positioning in Syria to accommodate Ankara’s objections to the leading role the YPG have played within the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is spearheading the war against the Islamic State (IS), Graham said.
The senator, a close ally of the U.S. president, added that Trump told him about his plans in Syria which "make me feel a lot better about where we're headed" in the Middle Eastern country.
Reporter's code: 50101
<p style="text-align: left;">U.S. President Donald Trump will make sure Kurds are protected while giving Turkey of a buffer zone in northern Syria to put to rest the country&rsquo;s concerns regarding the Kurdish People&rsquo;s Protection Units (YPG), NBC news reported U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham telling reporters on Sunday after a lunch with Trump.
News Code 35558
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