Analysts warn that even though US President Donald Trump on Wednesday described the latest developments in Syria as a success for his administration, the recent deal between Turkey and Russia to carve up a part of Syria may actually represent a strategic disaster for Washington.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed on the establishment of a “safe zone” in northeastern Syria. Turkey had proposed the zone, where Moscow will allow it to maintain a military presence as long as Turkey halts it’s incursion into Syria. The safe zone will be controlled by Turkish, Russian and Syrian government forces. The Turkish campaign started after the US withdraw its forces from the region earlier this month. Experts had been warning that the US withdrawal is likely to play into the hands of major US adversaries including Assad, Russia, Iran and Islamic State, while it is a disaster for the Kurdish-led forces in the region that were allied to Washington.
Read more: Analysis: Declaring Victory, Trump Strengthens Russia’s Hand
