THE UK would be “complicit in the US president’s decision to stab our Kurdish allies in the back”, MPs have heard amid fears that Turkish troops will move into northern Syria.
Labour former minister Kevin Brennan said Donald Trump’s plans for US troops to step aside for an expected attack on the Syrian Kurds are a “moral betrayal” and a “strategic error”. SNP Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman Stephen Gethins agreed Trump’s plan was “ill thought-out” and a “blatant betrayal”.
READ MORE: US troops withdrawing from Syria draws Kurdish criticism
Syrian Kurdish fighters, who have been allies in the fight against Daesh, warned Washington’s decision to stand aside will overturn years of achievements in the battle against the militants.
Brennan said: “Essentially, we will be complicit in the US president’s decision to stab our Kurdish allies in the back. It’s not just a moral betrayal, it’s a strategic error.”
A protest against the US move will be held in Edinburgh today, meeting at the Scottish Parliament at 11am and heading to the US Consulate. There will be a silent protest outside the National Gallery at 11am tomorrow.
A spokesperson said: “By withdrawing its troops from the Syrian border, the US has opened the way for Turkey to commit mass genocide against the Kurdish people.”
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