Sen. Graham Warns Turkey Against Further Invasions of Syria

Says US troops must stay, but Turkey would face a quagmire

Jason Ditz 

Posted onJuly 4, 2018CategoriesNewsTagsLindsey Graham, Syria, Turkey

Having spoken with Turkey’s President Erdogan, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says he warned Turkey should just support the open-ended US military presence in Syria, and avoid any further military incursions against the Syrian Kurdish forces.

Sen. Lindsey Graham

The hawkish Sen. Graham has repeatedly advocated the US keeping troops in Syria, seemingly forever. He warned, on the other hand, that further Turkish involvement would leave Turkey in a quagmire, which is seemingly the same thing the US is settling comfortably into in Syria.

Graham says he told Erdogan that chasing the Kurds out of Manbij and keeping them on the other side of the Euphrates River “should be sufficient.” US forces are mostly embedded with the Kurds in Syria, but are also backing Turkey’s takeover of Manbij.

Graham’s argument for US troops staying is that the alternatives “are not good.” President Trump is keen to wrap up the military presence in Syria, but is facing resistance from Congressional hawks and members of his cabinet.

https://news.antiwar.com/2018/07/04/sen-graham-warns-turkey-against-further-invasions-of-syria/