Trump Calls Syria Cease-Fire 'Permanent,' Lifts Sanctions on TurkeyOctober 23, 201910:33 AM ET
AYESHA RASCOE
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/23/772604648/trump-speaks-about-syria-ceasefire-after-russia-turkey-make-dealUpdated at 2:45 p.m. ET
President Trump says he is lifting sanctions on Turkey after the country agreed to what he called a permanent cease-fire in northern Syria, ending Turkey's military offensive that began after the U.S. pulled troops from the area.
Trump argued that his decision to remove U.S. forces — criticized by U.S. Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike — helped to bring the deal to fruition.
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Trump abruptly announced on Oct. 6 that U.S. troops would withdraw from northern Syria. Lawmakers accused him of abandoning Kurdish forces, who were key allies in the U.S. fight against ISIS. Turkey argues that the Kurdish fighters are terrorists.
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Still, some U.S. troops will remain in Syria to protect oil fields. Trump did not provide any details on the number of service members who would stay or how they would keep the oil secure.
The announcement of the permanent cease-fire comes after a deal was reached on Tuesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The agreement calls for the withdrawal of Syrian Kurdish forces from the Turkish border and then joint military patrols of the area now occupied by the Kurdish military.
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As NPR's Brakkton Booker reports, the Turkey-Russia agreement is widely seen as a victory for Russian influence in the region. Russian forces will replace U.S. troops who had patrolled these areas.
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