Trump once stopped Erdogan's attacks on US-backed Kurds in Syria, he has opportunity to do it again, says Jack Keane

JERUSALEM President-elect Trump could be the key factor in stopping Turkey's destruction of the pro-American Syrian Kurdish community, Fox News senior strategic analyst and retired four-star general Jack Keane tells Fox's Mark Levin News on “Life, Liberty”. & Levin” Saturday.

“Erdoan is a real problem here. He has a corridor in northern Syria. He supported the radical leader who took power, al-Golani, toppling Assad because he wanted Assad gone like we did have been doing for years, but now what is he doing? Now he is attacking the Syrian Kurds, who we support, in eastern Syria.

Keane said: “Biden won't do anything about this, but President Trump has a huge opportunity, and I know for a fact that President Trump already dealt with Erdoan once on the same issue. conversation he had with President Erdoan.”

FALL OF BASHAR ASSAD IN SYRIA IS A STRATEGIC BLOW TO IRAN AND RUSSIA, EXPERTS SAYS

A masked Islamic State terrorist waving the ISIS flag in 2015. (History Group/Universal Images via Getty Images)

Keane said one of Trump's first phone conversations once in office will likely be with Erdoan, “if he hasn't already started talking to him.”

He said the motivation of Syrian Kurds in eastern Syria is not to seize Turkish territory but to ensure that ISIS remains defeated and “that they do not rise up again”, adding that the United States “does not need to get involved in any significant way.” “

While world leaders are largely focused on the collapse of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad's regime, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoan has mobilized forces loyal to his government to eradicate Kurdish fighters on his southern border with Syria, who helped the United States defeat the ISIS terrorist movement.

President Trump meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office of the White House, November 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Alarm bells are ringing about the disastrous fate of the Syrian Kurds.

“Turkey has become too aggressive. If it gets carte blanche in Syria, it could secretly commit ethnic cleansing,” warned Efrat Aviv, professor in the department of general history at Bar-Ilan University in Israel and a leading expert on Turkey. , in a statement to Fox News Digital.

In an apparent effort to alter his jihadist movement, Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of the US-designated terrorist movement Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which played a decisive role in the overthrow of the Assad regime , said: “The Kurds are part of the nation and have suffered great injustices, just like us. With the fall of the regime, the injustice they faced could also be lifted.

SYRIAN DICTATOR BASHAR ASSAD FLIES INTO EXILE AS ISLAMIST REBELS CONQUER THE COUNTRY

U.S. forces provide military training to members of the YPG/SDF in Syria, August 18, 2023. (Hedil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Ahmad al-Sharaa, known until recently by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Golani, is an ally of Turkey. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US had established “direct contact” with HTS, despite it being a proscribed terrorist entity.

Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on Saturday urged Kurdish parties in northeast Syria (Rojava) to generate a unified front.

“Today, Kurdish national unity in Syria has become a historical necessity in response to the challenges of this critical phase. We call on all Kurdish parties to put aside partisan interests and truly respond to public calls for dialogue and unity,” Abdi wrote on X.

Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., posted on President Trump to destroy ISIS. I'm ready to do it. again in a bipartisan manner.

“We should not allow the Kurdish forces who helped us destroy ISIS under President Trump's watch to be threatened by Turkey or the radical Islamists who have taken over Syria.”

The Dutch Parliament also intervened last week to protect Syrian Kurds, urging his government to advocate for a halt to Turkish attacks on Kurds.

President Biden and President Recep Tayyip Erdoan speak during the G7 summit June 14, 2024 in Fasano, Italy. (Christophe Furlong/Getty Images)

The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) announced Sunday in response to ongoing attacks by pro-Turkish forces, “We face significant threats and dangers, and we call on the Global Coalition and the entire world to unite with us to protect Kobane.”

“The world now owes Kobani and its fighters, and it is time to stand with Kobani,” the statement continued, “calling on the World Coalition and freedom-loving individuals to unite and safeguard the dignity and humanity of the region.

TURKEY’S INVASION THREATS MUST BE TAKEN “VERY SERIOUSLY”: CYPRUS OFFICIAL

Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on December 13, 2024 in Ankara. (Getty Images)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who was the former head of the country's formidable intelligence service, MIT, expressed his country's views on the Kurdish political and military organizations, the Party of Workers of Kurdistan (PKK) and the People's Defense Units (GPJ): “We are threatened by Iraq and Syria. Over the past decade, the PKK has sought to exploit the chaos in Syria, attempting to restructure itself within the SDF organization. We continue to fight against the PKK/YPG terrorism, targeting them wherever they are.”

He added: “Our goal is to distinguish the Syrian Kurds from the PKK/YPG terrorist organization. We support the legitimate representatives of the Syrian Kurds in their efforts to defend their rights in Damascus. »

The YPG is the main U.S. allied force that contributed to the defeat of ISIS. The United States has classified the PKK as a foreign terrorist organization. The YPG is part of the Syrian Kurdish organization, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Turkish government has intensified its rhetoric against the Kurds. Turkish Defense Minister Yaar Gler said on Sunday “Our main objective is the dissolution of the PKK/YPG.”

Displaced Kurds leave the refugee camp north of Aleppo to flee to Afrin, December 4, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/DIA Images/Abaca/Sipa USA (Sipa via AP Images)

New freshman Rep. Abraham Hamadeh, R-Ariz., whose parents are Syrian immigrants, told Fox News Digital: “As we assess Turkey's recent airstrikes against Syrian Kurds and reports of Hamas agents in Turkey, it is clear that our alliances must be anchored in mutual respect and shared goals. For decades, Turkey has been a strategic partner, but welcoming groups like Hamas without taking clear steps to dismantle their operations undermines that relationship. Turkey must seize this opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to the fight. terror, without allowing it.”

Asked by Fox News Digital if the United States was considering sanctions on Turkey, a State Department spokesperson responded: “Generally speaking, we do not anticipate sanctions. »

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The State Department on Friday referred Fox News Digital to comments made earlier Friday after Blinken's meeting with Fidan in Türkiye.

The statement said in particular that “Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of U.S.-Turkish cooperation in the Global Coalition’s mission to defeat ISIS in Syria.”