Turkish forces who launched multiple artillery rounds near a U.S. Special Operations outpost in northeastern Syria on Friday have known for months that Americans were there, according to four current and former U.S. officials, raising questions whether Turkey is trying to push American troops farther from the border.
One Army officer who has deployed to northeastern Syria and has knowledge of the situation said that multiple rounds of 155mm fire were launched from Turkey’s side of the border and that they had a “bracketing effect” in which shells landed on both sides of the U.S. outpost.
“That’s an area weapon,” the officer said, noting its explosive effects. “That’s not something we ever would have done to a partner force.”
The officer said that Turkey knew there were Americans on the hill and that it had to be deliberate. The service members vacated the outpost after the incident but returned on Saturday, according to a U.S. official and images circulating on social media.
“We had been there for months, and it is the most clearly defined position in that entire area,” the officer said.
“This was not a mistake,” he said.
McGurk, who often collaborated with the U.S. military in Syria before resigning his position in December, emphasized the increasing risks to Americans throughout Syria in an email Saturday.
“Turkey wants us off the the entire border region to a depth of 30 kilometers,” he said. “Based on all the facts available, these were warning fires on a known location, not inadvertent rounds.”
1)Trump gave Turkey the green light to kill the Kurds, our allies who helped us defeat ISIS, and now a massacre is under way.
2)The US joined Russia on the Security Counsel to defeat a resolution condemning Turkey's actions.
3)ISIS members are escaping, and Trump doesn't care.
4)And now our own military believes that Turkey is deliberately targeting positions near our forces to get them to leave the area, and again, Trump doesn't care.
Yes, Trump has clear profit interests in Turkey, but how do a couple towers explain this?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...ng-american-forces-with-artillery-fire-syria/
@BenjaminHallFNC: URGENT: US official tells me the situation in NE Syria is deteriorating rapidly. US Forces are at risk of being isolated and the risk of confrontation between Turkish proxies and US Forces is high. Extremist Turkish proxies are wearing SDF uniforms and killing civilians. @FoxNews
Republicans have completely ****ed our ability to do foreign policy for the foreseeable future. You can’t put this on Trump anymore. This is a Republican-wide problem.
Sometimes things are as they appear - this is treason. Trump is placing the interests of Putin and Erdogan above the interests of the US.
Sounds like some REMF talking out of his ass. You don't bracket a target laterally, it's done longitudinlly, with elevation and depression. Direction (windage) has already been determined before the spotting rounds are fired.
Besides, if the Turks know exactly where the U.S. position is located, that means they already have the exact grid coordinate of that position. If they wanted to shell it, they would only have to target that GC.
Please, you know as well as I do that ordinance falling within 200 meters are warning shots, particularly when the people firing have exact coordinates...
To try to deny that is far more than disingenuous...
How do you know it was 200 meters? Everything so far reports "several hundred meters".
@BenjaminHallFNC: URGENT: US official tells me the situation in NE Syria is deteriorating rapidly. US Forces are at risk of being isolated and the risk of confrontation between Turkish proxies and US Forces is high. Extremist Turkish proxies are wearing SDF uniforms and killing civilians. @FoxNews
Republicans have completely ****ed our ability to do foreign policy for the foreseeable future. You can’t put this on Trump anymore. This is a Republican-wide problem.
I will agree with that.
This was trumps decision but with the majority of Republicans backing those that are paying attention know what a betrayal this was.
But really is anyone surprised?
This is trumps MO he uses people and when they are no longer in his personal best interests he abandons them.
Giuliani will be feeling that very soon...
How do you know it was 200 meters? Everything so far reports "several hundred meters".
The last three years of Trump’s administration have been a national emergency in the making. As of this past week, that national emergency is here, so here’s a question: in light of the urgency of the situation, should Democrats vote to impeach right now?
I think that may be too slow , article 25 may save thousands of lives...
It is what a heard reported, and it is common sense...
What an extraordinary coincidence. Turkey, knowing where our forces were stationed, managed to fire just to side of them over and over and over again.
Being a trump supporter requires logging on and pretending to be as stupid as humanly possible.
We just elected a dud.
We do that periodically. The voters have to fix this.
How do you know that?
People need to let article 25 go. It ain’t happening. Impeachment is the only tool with a prayer of succeeding.
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