1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Turkish Incursion into Syria: U.S. Policy Implications Carla E. Humud Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs Jim Zanotti Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs Clayton Thomas Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs October 11, 2019 On
2、October 9, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of “Operation Peace Spring,” which he stated would target both Kurdish and Islamic State (IS, aka ISIL/ISIS) fighters in northern Syria. Turkey then launched an air and ground assault against Kurdish forces. Turkeys foreign minist
3、er has stated that Turkish forces plan to go 18 miles into Syrian territory, and eventually to occupy a corridor along the border. The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had stated that the SDF would resist, and fighting has escalated. The launch of the operation followed an
4、 October 6 call between President Donald Trump and Erdogan, after which the White House announced that Turkey would “soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria,” and that U.S. forces would “no longer be in the immediate area.” Some Members of Congress then argued that