Turkish Onslaught
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
NATION LIFESTYLE MUSIC Crews fight wind, Adding second dog Wilco keeps it flames in wildfires to family not always quirky on most near Los Angeles a simple process recent release Page 5 Page 15 Page 18 Kenyan is first human to break 2-hour marathon mark » Sports Briefs, Page 25 Volume 78, No. 127B ©SS 2019 CONTINGENCY EDITION SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2019 stripes.com Free to Deployed Areas Artillery fire hits near US troops in Syria From wire reports knew Americans are present. Syria “down to the grid” on a map. not fired on the U.S. soldiers. A ‘ All precautions A U.S. official, who spoke on the He said U.S. troops retain the right Turkish border post south of the Turkish artillery fire landed Turkish town of Suruc had come near U.S. troops in Syria on Friday, were taken prior condition of anonymity due to the to defend themselves as needed. under attack Friday from hills a Pentagon spokesman said. sensitivity of the issue, told The He said that some U.S. forces in the to opening fi re in approximately a kilometer south- Navy Capt. Brook DeWalt said Washington Post the troops were in region had been “repositioned” for west of a U.S. observation post and no troops were injured when the order to prevent position at a small military outpost force protection as Kurdish fight- Turkish troops had fired back “in artillery explosion occurred within any harm to the when the explosion happened. ers, who were providing security A few hours earlier, the Penta- for U.S. installations, had headed self-defense,” the statement said. a few hundred yards of U.S. troops U.S. base. “All precautions were taken prior ’ gon’s top general, Army Gen. Mark north toward Turkey. positioned outside Kobani, a Syrian to opening fire in order to prevent border town. DeWalt said the blast Turkish Defense Milley, said that Turkish forces Turkey’s Defense Ministry said occurred in an area where Turkey Ministry know where American troops are in in a statement that its troops had SEE FIRE ON PAGE 4 TURKISH ONSLAUGHT Attacks sidetrack ISIS fight Page 4 Invasion reaches into Syria Page 3 A convoy of Turkish forces transports tanks toward the border with Syria in Sanliurfa province on Saturday. LEFTERIS PITARAKIS/AP PAGE 2 •STARS AND STRIPES• Sunday, October 13, 2019 MIDEAST Some in Israel worrying about Trump’s reliability BY JOSEF FEDERMAN decision to break with decades of following a series of moves in Associated Press U.S. policy and recognize Jerusa- which Trump backed away from lem as Israel’s capital. He moved possible military confrontations. JERUSALEM — For the past the American Embassy to the In June, he called off a planned three years, Israeli Prime Min- contested holy city, enraging the attack against Iran in response to ister Benjamin Netanyahu has Palestinians. the shooting down of a U.S. drone. bet heavily on President Donald Trump also withdrew from the Trump also decided against mili- Trump and been rewarded with international nuclear deal with tary action in response to an al- major diplomatic gains in ex- Iran — an agreement that Israel leged Iranian attack on Saudi oil change for his warm embrace of had derided as weak and ineffec- facilities last month, saying he the U.S. leader. tive. He defended Israel from its did not want war. ODED BALILTY/AP But the U.S. pullback from many critics at the United Na- Then, last week, he abruptly northeastern Syria, essentially tions, and, early this year, recog- withdrew U.S. troops from Kurd- A campaign billboard shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin abandoning its Kurdish allies, nized Israel’s annexation of the ish areas in northeastern Syria, Netanyahu and President Donald Trump in Jerusalem in February. has called that strategy — and Golan Heights, captured from clearing the way for a Turkish Hebrew on the billboard reads: “Netanyahu is a different league.” Trump’s reliability as a friend — Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. invasion aimed at crushing the into question. In particular, there Netanyahu routinely boasts Kurds, America’s allies in the killed in the 1973 Mideast war. been placed on Trump, at the cost are growing fears that Israel’s that Trump is the best friend that fight against the Islamic State “The Israeli military is prepared of Netanyahu distancing him- archenemy Iran could be embold- to preempt any threat, defensive- self far from the Democrats and ened by what appears to be an in- Israel has ever had in the White group. House. But things have begun to The fear is that Trump’s actions, ly and offensively, with crushing undermining traditional bipar- creasingly hands-off American strength.” tisan support in Washington for policy in the region. change since he failed to win re- or lack thereof, could encourage But while officials have stopped Israel.” “The Israelis had thought of election in April and was forced Iran to step up what Israel sees as to hold a second, inconclusive aggressive and hostile activity in short of openly criticizing Trump, Ofer Shelach, a lawmaker with Trump as a special U.S. leader the American pullback from very much in tune with their view vote last month. Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. the Blue and White Party, the During the first campaign for “The main image is a very Syria has pushed some to ques- main rival of Netanyahu’s Likud of the region,” said Dan Shapiro, tion Netanyahu’s close alliance. who was former President Barack the April race, Trump embraced weak U.S. that does not help its party, said the events in north- That support has had the effect of Obama’s ambassador to Israel. Netanyahu’s candidacy and made allies. It deserts its allies,” said eastern Syria are “more evidence alienating some of Israel’s tradi- “Now they’re coming to terms little secret of his support, invit- Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.- of Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing tional backers in the Democratic with the cold hard reality that his ing the Israeli leader to the White Israel relations at Israel’s Bar- diplomatic failure.” He said that Party and the overwhelmingly isolationist instincts and his cha- House when he announced his Ilan University. despite the close ties with Netan- liberal Jewish American commu- otic, impulsive decision making recognition of the Golan Heights Israeli officials declined to yahu, Trump does “what suits annexation. comment about Trump’s decision nity and caused friction with al- can actually be very damaging to him.” But during the do-over race, in northern Syria but said rela- lies in Europe. their interests.” But not everyone views the It is a surprising turn of events Trump kept his distance. And tions with the U.S. remain strong “From Jerusalem’s perspec- U.S. move as necessarily bad for for Netanyahu, who has been one after Netanyahu last month failed and the country is more than ca- tive, it is another warning sign Israel — or all that new. Yaakov of Trump’s strongest supporters for a second time to win a par- pable of defending itself. that this president — until recent- on the international stage. liamentary majority in national “We will always remember and ly presented as Israel’s greatest Amidror, Netanyahu’s former That alliance yielded a wealth elections, Trump appeared to implement the basic rule that has friend ever in Washington — can’t national security adviser, said of dividends for Netanyahu dur- play down the friendship. “Our guided us: Israel will defend it- be trusted,” said Amos Harel, Trump’s disengagement in many ing the first few years of the relations are with Israel, so we’ll self, by itself, against any threat,” a commentator in the Haaretz ways continues Obama’s reluc- Trump administration — per- see what happens,” he said. Netanyahu said at a memorial daily. “Again, one must wonder tance to become embroiled in yet haps none so striking as Trump’s Concerns have only deepened ceremony Thursday for soldiers whether too much reliance hadn’t another Mideast conflict. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............ 14 Books .............................. 16 Business .......................... 22 Gadgets ............................ 20 Lifestyle ........................... 15 Music .......................... 18-19 Opinion ............................ 21 Sports .........................24-32 Weather ........................... 22 Sunday, October 13, 2019 •STARS AND STRIPES• PAGE 3 MIDEAST Turkish forces capture key town in Syria BY MEHMET GUZEL Associated Press CEYLANPINAR, Turkey — Fire: No US Turkey’s military said it captured a key Syrian border town under troops injured heavy bombardment Saturday in its most significant gain, as its of- fensive against Kurdish fighters in explosion pressed into its fourth day with little sign of relenting despite FROM FRONT PAGE mounting international criticism. any harm to the U.S. base.” Turkish troops entered central The Turks acknowledged Ras al-Ayn, according to Turkey’s they had stopped firing after Defense Ministry and a war mon- “receiving information” itor group. The ministry tweeted: from the United States. “Ras al-Ayn’s residential center On Sunday, President has been taken under control Donald Trump ordered through the successful operations a pullback of U.S. troops in the east of Euphrates” river. It from Syria’s border with marked the biggest gain made by Turkey. Trump’s decision Turkey since the invasion began drew swift bipartisan criti- Wednesday. cism that he was endanger- The continued push by Tur- ing regional stability and key into Syria comes days after risking the lives of Syrian U.S. President Donald Trump Kurdish allies who brought cleared the way for Turkey’s air down the Islamic State in and ground offensive, pulling LEFTERIS PITARAKIS/AP Syria.