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UN: 27,000 Children Stranded in Refugee Camps ‘at Risk of Radicalization’ by ISIS

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Around 27,000 children, many with parents who are affiliated with ISIS, remain in a refugee camp in northeastern Syria, the United Nations counterterrorism chief said, the Associated Press reported Saturday.

The thousands of children “remain stranded, abandoned to their fate” where they are exposed to ISIS and are “at risk of radicalization within the camp,” said Vladimir Voronkov, the undersecretary general for counter terrorism at the U.N., during an informal meeting on Friday, the AP reported. He added that there are children from 60 countries at the camps who need to be repatriated. . .

Al Hol is the largest refugee camp in Syria with around 62,000 occupants, the AP reported. Over 80% of the people there are women and children who escaped to the camp after ISIS lost their last stronghold in the country in 2019.

Several countries, including Russia and Kazakhstan, have already repatriated around 1,000 children and their family members, Voronkov said, the AP reported. A U.N. official added that children under the age of 14 should be approached as victims and not detained or prosecuted. (Read more from “UN: 27,000 Children Stranded in Refugee Camps ‘at Risk of Radicalization’ by ISIS” HERE)

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Deep State Diplomat Lied To Trump About Syria on Behalf of Military-Industrial Complex

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Senior U.S. Diplomat and special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey repeatedly lied to the Trump administration about how many troops were stationed in Syria over the last four years.

“We were always playing shell games to not make clear to our leadership how many troops we had there,” Jeffrey said in an interview.

While President Donald Trump announced late in 2018 that he would be withdrawing troops from Syria following the defeat of the Islamic State, Jeffrey, whose term ended on Sunday, and his team continually found reasons to prevent total removal from the region.

“What Syria withdrawal? There was never a Syria withdrawal,” Jeffrey said. “When the situation in northeast Syria had been fairly stable after we defeated ISIS, [Trump] was inclined to pull out. In each case, we then decided to come up with five better arguments for why we needed to stay, and we succeeded both times. That’s the story.” . . .

Jeffrey, who previously served as deputy national security adviser under George W. Bush, signed a 2016 “NeverTrump” letter, along with dozens of other national security and foreign policy officials who worked under Bush, pledging he would never vote for the then-Republican presidential nominee. (Read more from “Deep State Diplomat Lied To Trump About Syria on Behalf of Military-Industrial Complex” HERE)

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GOP Lawmaker Makes Unannounced Trip To Northeastern Syria

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A Republican lawmaker made an unannounced trip to Syria this past week, meeting with Kurdish fighters allied with the U.S. against ISIS and American aid workers helping civilians caught in the crossfire of Turkey’s offensive into the region.

Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-La.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, traveled to northeastern Syria beginning last week for a multiday tour, visiting front-line positions where Kurdish forces trade fire daily with Turkish-backed fighters despite an October cease-fire agreement.

“The purpose of my trip was to express my deep concerns for the safety of Christians and other persecuted minorities in the region as well as my support for self-governance among the Kurds,” Abraham wrote in an email to The Hill. (Read more from “GOP Lawmaker Makes Unannounced Trip To Northeastern Syria” HERE)

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The U.S. Government Is Letting Marine Veteran Austin Tice Languish in a Syrian Prison, According to His Mother

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The mother of Marine veteran Austin Tice told reporters on Monday that a top U.S. official is refusing to give permission for a meeting with the Syrian government to negotiate the release of her son, who went missing near Damascus in 2012. . .

The Syrian government sent Debra Tice a message in March 2014 that they would be willing to meet with a U.S. official to negotiate her son’s release, Connecting Vets reporter Abbie Bennett wrote in her article about the event. . .

“There is no possible way for me to understand why anyone would defy the president’s will and choose to leave our beloved son, who put his life on the line serving this country three tours as a Marine Corps officer, waiting in captivity instead of taking the necessary steps to get this critical discussion underway,” she said. . .

Austin Tice was taken prisoner on Aug. 14, 2012 while he was working in Syria as a freelance reporter. He later appeared in a Sept. 26, 2012 video that was posted to YouTube. He was blindfolded and his captors wore jihadist garb but it was not known if they were disguised allies of the Syrian regime.

Air Force Maj. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, the deputy commander for intelligence and operations for U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria had no information about Austin Tice’s status or U.S. government efforts to secure his release when a reporter asked him about the issue on Jan. 22. (Read more from “The U.S. Government Is Letting Marine Veteran Austin Tice Languish in a Syrian Prison, According to His Mother” HERE)

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Kurds Thank Trump for Ending Turkey’s Attack

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By Newsweek. The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces has thanked President Donald Trump for organizing an initial ceasefire to halt a Turkish-led attack on majority-Kurdish forces across northeastern Syria, just as the U.S. leader signaled it was time for other powers to step in on Syria.

Trump ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops from northeastern Syria earlier this month as NATO ally Turkey launched an attack on the Pentagon-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a group dominated by Kurdish militias that battled the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) but were considered terrorist organizations by Turkey. As violence ravaged the region, the Trump administration arranged a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and produced a five-day ceasefire that would end the attack by Turkish forces and allied Syrian insurgents, and facilitate the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters from a so-called “safe zone.”

After this deal was succeeded by a new arrangement between Russia and Turkey, Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazloum Kobane said Wednesday that he “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,” according to a tweet by spokesperson Mustafa Bali.

“We THANK President Trump for his tireless efforts that stopped the brutal Turkish attack and jihadist groups on our people,” Kobane was cited as saying. “President Trump promised to maintain partnership with SDF and long-term support at various spheres.” (Read more from “Kurds Thank Trump for Ending Turkey’s Attack” HERE)

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Despite Setback, Kurds Appear Ready for Spotlight

By The Jerusalem Post. Syrian Kurdish leader Gen. Mazlum Kobani received Washington’s support on Wednesday and was on the phone with the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu – all two weeks after it seemed his Syrian Democratic Forces were on the ropes against Turkey.

Mazlum and his fighters – which number around 100,000 in different units trained by the Americans – suffered setbacks between October 9 and 14 amid hammering by Turkey and Turkish-backed jihadists, but they have come through the fire with confidence. . .

For SDF commanders, this now presents an interesting opportunity. The US wants the SDF, which it helped create, to continue to secure parts of eastern Syria, particularly 10,000 ISIS detainees and some oil fields near the Euphrates River. The US will remain in this area for an undetermined amount of time. This can help keep Iranian influence out of the strategic border area and prevent ISIS infiltrating into Iraq. It also give the SDF some room to maneuver between the US and the Russians. According to Russia’s Sputnik news agency, Moscow was in contact with Washington about the Turkish agreement.

While Moscow’s sudden appearance in eastern Syria as the arbiter appeared to humiliate Washington last week, it now appears that the US and the SDF might have an avenue to speak to the Russians about some shared interests. This is because the SDF now has signed agreements with the Syrian regime while Moscow has signed an agreement with Ankara.

Turkey is ostensibly an American NATO ally. Turkey’s main concern was to remove the SDF from the border, and it has accomplished this. It has also provided Turkey’s government a way to pretend it won, and to funnel some unsavory jihadists into Syria so Turkey doesn’t have to deal with them in Idlib province. Turkey wants to dump as many Syrian extremists back into Syria as possible to cage them in and dilute them. Ankara didn’t commit many of its own forces to fighting the SDF between October 9 and 17, seeking instead to use the Syrian rebel groups as cannon fodder. Now that the fodder has been used, Turkey and Russia signed their deal. (Read more from “Despite Setback, Kurds Appear Ready for Spotlight” HERE)

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U.S. Troops Leaving Syria Will Go to Western Iraq

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Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that under current plans all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the military will continue to conduct operations against the Islamic State group to prevent its resurgence.

Speaking to reporters traveling with him to the Middle East, Esper did not rule out the idea that U.S. forces would conduct counterterrorism missions from Iraq into Syria. But he said those details will be worked out over time.

His comments were the first to specifically lay out where American troops will go as they leave Syria and what the counter-IS fight could look like. Esper said he has spoken to his Iraqi counterpart about the plan to shift the more than 700 troops leaving Syria into western Iraq.

As Esper left Washington on Saturday, U.S. troops were continuing to pull out of northern Syria after Turkey’s invasion into the border region. Reports of sporadic clashes continued between Turkish-backed fighters and the U.S.-allied Syria Kurdish forces despite a five-day cease-fire agreement hammered out on Friday between U.S. and Turkish leaders.

Trump ordered the bulk of the approximately 1,000 U.S. troops in Syria to withdraw after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear in a phone call that his forces were about to invade Syria to push back Kurdish forces that Turkey considers terrorists. (Read more from “U.S. Troops Leaving Syria Will Go to Western Iraq” HERE)

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Claim: Turkish Forces Immediately Violated Ceasefire Agreement

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The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reported on Friday morning that Turkish forces violated the five-day ceasefire agreement announced on Thursday afternoon almost immediately, as Turkish-allied ground forces continued to attack the town of Ras al-Ain with Turkish air and artillery support.

“Despite the agreement to halt the fighting, air and artillery attacks continue to target the positions of fighters, civilian settlements, and the hospital in Serekaniye/Ras al-Ain,” said SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali, using both the Kurdish and Arabic names of the town. . .

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights counted 7 civilians killed plus at least 21 injured by Turkish airstrikes and warned 38 injured people are trapped in an area under siege by Turkish proxies.

Organizers of a civilian relief convoy attempting to reach Ras al-Ain told Kurdistan24 News the attacking forces have cut off access to the town. They reported 30 injuries in the area from artillery fired by either the Turks or their allies from the Free Syrian Army.

Reuters journalists positioned near the Turkey-Syria border said they could hear machine-gun fire and artillery explosions from the vicinity of Ras al-Ain and saw plumes of smoke near the town, although they added the “sounds of fighting had subsided by mid-morning.” (Read more from “Claim: Turkish Forces Immediately Violated Ceasefire Agreement” HERE)

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Turkey Attacks U.S. Special Forces in Syria, Apparently by Mistake; Pentagon Chief on Decision to Move Troops in Syria: ‘We Put the Safety of Our Soldiers First’

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By Newsweek. contingent of U.S. Special Forces was caught up in Turkish shelling against U.S.-backed Kurdish positions in northern Syria, days after President Donald Trump told his Turkish counterpart he would withdraw U.S. troops from certain positions in the area. A senior Pentagon official said shelling by the Turkish forces was so heavy that the U.S. personnel considered firing back in self-defense.

Newsweek has learned through both an Iraqi Kurdish intelligence official and the senior Pentagon official that Special Forces operating on Mashtenour hill in the majority-Kurdish city of Kobani fell under artillery fire from Turkish forces conducting their so-called “Operation Peace Spring” against Kurdish fighters backed by the U.S. but considered terrorist organizations by Turkey. No injuries have been reported.

Instead of returning fire, the Special Forces withdrew once the shelling had ceased. Newsweek previously reported Wednesday that the current rules of engagement for U.S. forces continue to be centered around self-defense and that no order has been issued by the Pentagon for a complete withdrawal from Syria. . .

The Turkish Defense Ministry issued a statement in response to Newsweek’s report, denying that its military had targeted U.S. forces. The ministry affirmed that “Turkish border outposts south of Suruc came under Dochka and mortar fire from the hills located approximately 1,000 meters southwest of a U.S. observation post.” (Read more from “Turkey Attacks U.S. Special Forces in Syria, Apparently by Mistake” HERE)

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Pentagon Chief on Decision to Move Troops in Syria: ‘We Put the Safety of Our Soldiers First’

By Breitbart. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday the Trump administration decided to pull back less than 50 U.S. troops from northern Syria in order to make sure they were not caught in a pending fight between Turkish and Syrian Kurdish forces.

“When Turkey notified us of an imminent military operation, we relocated a small contingent of less than 50 special operations soldiers out of the immediate zone of attack,” he said. “This decision was made to ensure that American troops were not caught up in the fighting between Turkish and Kurdish forces.”

“The safety of our men and women in uniform remains our top priority,” he added.

Esper said Turkey’s decision put the U.S. in a tough situation, given that Turkey is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally. He said:

The impulsive action of President Erdogan to invade northern Syria has put the United States in a tough situation, given our relationship with our NATO ally Turkey, who has fought alongside the United States in the past, and the Syrian Democratic Forces who helped us destroy the physical caliphate of ISIS, and the safety of U.S. military personnel.

(Read more from “Pentagon Chief on Decision to Move Troops in Syria: ‘We Put the Safety of Our Soldiers First’” HERE)

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WATCH: Trump Defends Syria Decision, Warns Turkey What to Expect If They Attack

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President Trump addressed his largely unpopular decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria at the White House Wednesday, after singing executive orders on transparency. Going into the Middle East is “the worst mistake” the U.S. has ever made, the president said. . .

Yet, with no more U.S. presence, there are reports that Turkish forces are going to launch an offensive into Syria and “wipe out” our Kurdish allies. Asked to respond, Trump said he hopes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will “act rationally.” If not, he said Erdogan could expect severe economic sanctions.

(Read more from “WATCH: Trump Defends Syria Decision, Warns Turkey What to Expect If They Attack” HERE)

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WATCH: Trump Describes Writing Letters to Families of Killed Soldiers in Emotional Speech

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President Donald Trump defended his decision to remove American forces from Syria during a press conference Monday, emotionally describing how he has to write letters to the families of fallen soldiers.

“It’s time to come back home. But I can understand the other side of it, but if you go by the other side that means we should never, ever come home. We should never, ever come home and you know, I have to sign letters often to parents of young soldiers that were killed and it’s the hardest thing I have to do in this job,” Trump said.

“I hate it. I hate it. Afghanistan, I signed one the other day. Iraq. Syria. They get blown up by mines. They get taken out by a sniper,” the president said, continuing, “And I have to write letters, and we make each letter different. Each person is different. We make them personal.”

He continued, “But no matter what you do it’s devastating. The parents will never be the same. The families will never be the same. People are killed. Many people are still being killed. It’s going to go on for perhaps a long time. And, we’re willing to do what we have to do but there has to be an end game.” (Read more from “Trump Describes Writing Letters to Families of Killed Soldiers in Emotional Speech” HERE)

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