Lindsey Graham speaks on Turkey sanctions at news conference

October 17, 2019

Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the leading critics of President Trump’s drawdown of U.S. troops from Syria, is speaking Thursday afternoon about a bill to sanction Turkey, which has now invaded northern Syria and threatens the U.S. Kurdish allies who were instrumental in fighting ISIS. Graham, like many Republicans, sees the president’s actions as a betrayal of those allies that will have damaging repercussions for the U.S. in other arenas, too.

Earlier this week, Graham told reporters, “I do appreciate what the administration has done against Turkey through executive action, but more to follow. The Trump administration announced Monday that three Turkish ministers, the Turkish defense department and energy ministry would be sanctioned. Mr. Trump also raised steel tariffs and immediately canceled negotiations over a $100 billion trade deal with Turkey.

Mr. Trump declared on Wednesday that the U.S. has no stake in defending Kurdish fighters who died by the thousands as America’s partners against Islamic State extremists. He also welcomed the rise of Russian influence in northern Syria, and said that Turkey and Syria “Syria may have some help with Russia, and that’s fine,” Mr. Trump said, arguing that the conflict is a regional dispute. “They’ve got a lot of sand over there. So, there’s a lot of sand that they can play with.” He added, “Let them fight their own wars.”

While Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are in Ankara trying to push for a ceasefire in northern Syria, where there is active fighting, CBS News’ Charlie D’Agata reports.

Turkish howitzers have been opening up on targets inside the so-called “safe zone” while Turkish-backed forces wage running gunbattles on the ground against Kurdish forces, according to D’Agata.

Russian and Syrian regime forces are pushing into the city of Kobani, a key city with tremendous significance for the Kurds, who by the hour are surrendering any hope of holding on to the semi-autonomous region they fought years to try to establish.

U.S. military officials tell CBS News that F-15 fighter jets launched airstrikes outside Kobani to destroy ammunition left behind at a cement factory by retreating U.S. troops. U.S. Army Colonel Myles Caggins said the strikes were pre-planned, and that all coalition personnel and “essential tactical equipment” had been removed before the strike.

Until last week, that factory was a vital combat outpost for U.S. forces and their Kurdish allies in the fight against ISIS.

The Kurds are now calling for a corridor to evacuate dead and wounded civilians from Ras al Ain, which has seen some of the worst of the fighting, urging both the United States and Russia to intervene to help evacuate civilians trapped in the fighting.