{"id":29964,"date":"2019-11-08T01:36:03","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T01:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/11\/08\/senior-us-envoy-in-syria-highly-critical-of-american-troop-withdrawal\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:41:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:41:38","slug":"senior-us-envoy-in-syria-highly-critical-of-american-troop-withdrawal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/11\/08\/senior-us-envoy-in-syria-highly-critical-of-american-troop-withdrawal\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior US envoy in Syria highly critical of American troop withdrawal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 A senior American diplomat has written a highly critical assessment of the Trump administration\u2019s abrupt withdrawal of troops from northeast Syria last month, a decision that paved the way for an attack on U.S.-allied forces<\/a> in the area, officials said Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an internal memo, William Roebuck, the top American diplomat in northern Syria<\/a>, takes the Trump administration to task for not doing more to prevent Turkey\u2019s invasion or protect the Kurds, who fought alongside U.S. forces in the battle against the Islamic State group, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the officials described the memo, which was obtained and first revealed by The New York Times, as \u201clengthy and harsh.\u201d The officials were not authorized to discuss internal documents publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roebuck\u2019s memo highlights how Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw American troops was deeply divisive<\/a>, even within his own administration. The move was widely criticized by Democrats and Republicans as abandoning a key ally in the fight against the Islamic State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey invaded days after President Donald Trump ordered the small number of U.S. special operations forces in the area to leave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the memo quoted by the Times, Roebuck said there was no way to know if more pressure on Turkey\u2019s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, would have stopped the operation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tough call, and the answer is probably not. But we won\u2019t know because we didn\u2019t try,\u201d the Times quoted Roebuck as writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also raised concerns about the possibility that Turkish-backed militias taking part in the operation were undisciplined and could commit atrocities amounting to war crimes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mert
In this photo taken from the outskirts of the village of Mert Ismail near the town of Suruc, southeastern Turkey, Turkish army vehicles return to Tirley from Syrian after conducting a joint patrol with Russian forces, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. (Mehmet Guzel\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Roebuck, a top deputy to the U.S. special envoy for Syria, James Jeffrey, said the withdrawal of U.S forces had badly, if not irreparably, damaged the trust of the Kurds. The memo was sent to Jeffrey and a number of other officials who deal with Syria policy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeffrey is in Ankara, Turkey\u2019s capital, for discussions with the Turks on putting in place an Oct. 17 deal negotiated by Vice President Mike Pence that created a buffer zone along portions of the Turkey-Syria border. On Wednesday, a senior U.S. official said Jeffrey was raising concerns about alleged war crimes. <\/p>\n\n\n\t