U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has conveyed the U.S.’s “strong opposition” to Turkish plans to invade Northern Syria in retaliation to the recent bombing in Istanbul which Turkey blames on Kurdish groups in the area. In a phone call to his Turkish counterpart, Austin “expressed concern over escalating action in northern Syria and Turkey, including recent airstrikes, some of which directly threatened the safety of U.S. personnel who are working with local partners in Syria to defeat ISIS.” U.S. forces partner with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to combat ISIS terror groups in the region.
