Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Middle East Explained

How Trump’s sellout of the Kurds threw Iran a lifeline in Syria

Continuing his series on the complexities of the Middle East, Ahmed Aboudouh looks at the fallout of Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria

Saturday 19 October 2019 17:53 BST
Comments
The Syrian flag is raised by Assad’s forces upon entering Kurdish-held territory
The Syrian flag is raised by Assad’s forces upon entering Kurdish-held territory

Donald Trump’s decision to pull US forces out of Syria, paved the way for Turkey to push the Kurds away from its borders – but also facilitated a comeback by Iran in one of the most strategic areas in the Middle East.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were pushed into a deal with President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Iran’s staunch ally, to re-establish control over vast areas of northern Syria in a bid to stave off any Turkish incursion.

Iran has voiced “concerns” about the Turkish operations but stopped short of taking diplomatic or military actions to stop it.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in