Alwaght- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed on Monday President Donald Trump is "fully prepared" to take military actions against Turkey in Syria if necessary. US forces' withdrawal from northern Syria gave Turkey the green light to attack Kurds in Northern Syria.
"We prefer peace to war," Pompeo told CNBC. "But in the event that kinetic action or military action is needed, you should know that President Trump is fully prepared to undertake that action."
Opposition was meanwhile growing at home against the US abandoning of Kurdish forces, which has led to concerns that ISIL militants may return.
"We need to stop the slaughter. We need to ensure that we don't enable ISIS," Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen told a news conference in Washington, DC.
‘Talking about oil a distraction’
Ilham Ahmed, a Kurdish political leader and president of the Syrian Democratic Council Executive Committee, also joined the lawmakers in condemning Ankara’s offensive.
"They want to attack us. They want to kill hundreds of thousands of us," she said through a translator as cited by Reuters.
President Donald Trump said earlier in the day that a limited number of US troops would remain in Syria to man a garrison on the southern border with Jordan and “to secure the oil.”
"Talk about the oil fields is a cruel distraction from the ongoing humanitarian disaster," said Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who said he felt "horror and shame" about the Kurds.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who initially turned against Trump for betraying Kurds, announced legislation Thursday impose sanctions against the government in Ankara.
"I blame Turkey more than anyone. Turkey's invasion has put at risk the defeat of the caliphate," he said.
