After mixed messages, US piles pressure on Turkey – World

Faced with a violent reaction to appear to give the green light to Turkey's assault on Kurdish forces in Syria, President Donald Trump on Friday increased pressure on the US NATO ally threatening paralyzing sanctions.

The United States was moving to overturn mixed message accusations and policy changes about Turkey's offensive in northeastern Syria, which began after Trump ordered US troops to withdraw from the border.

Turkey is targeting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) led by the Kurds, a key US ally in the five-year battle to crush the militant group of the Islamic State. The SDF lost 11,000 fighters in the US-led campaign.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Trump had authorized, but had not yet activated, "very significant new sanctions" to deter Turkey from new offensive military actions.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper intervened strongly, saying that Turkey risked destabilizing the region and accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of taking "impulsive measures."

Esper "strongly encouraged" Turkey to stop the offensive, warning of "serious consequences," adding that he and the president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, had spoken directly with their Turkish counterparts.

Democrats and Republicans in Congress have come together to support sanctions against Turkey if it launches a total assault against the SDF.

The series of statements by the United States contrasted sharply with the rebel signals sent by Washington since Trump said last Sunday that he expected Turkish troops to begin attacking.

Erdogan wants to create a buffer zone between the border and the territory controlled by the Syrian Kurdish forces, which have links with Turkey's Kurdish rebels themselves.

United States seeks to stop Turkey

The president of the United States initially expressed his understanding of Turkey's desire to launch the offensive before warning later that the operation should be "human" and offered to mediate.

He had been the object of strong criticism, even among the usually firm Republicans, for what many saw as the flagrant betrayal of a faithful US ally.

But the US choreographed diplomatic effort to force Turkey to minimize its offensive may have little impact on the ground.

Erdogan on Friday rejected Esper's call for Turkey to stop the offensive.

"Now there are threats that come from left and right, telling us to stop this," Erdogan said. "We will not step back."

Turkish forces advanced on Friday, fighting to seize the cities on the third day of the operation that forced 100,000 civilians to flee.

"I still have no indication that they are willing to stop," Esper admitted.

Turkey has mainly launched air and artillery attacks against the SDF and has only used "limited" ground forces, according to US military chiefs.

The Turkish action has not yet violated any "red line" established by Trump, although the details of the criteria remain unclear.

"We don't want them to kill a lot of people […] if we have to use sanctions, we will do it, "Trump said Friday, without giving further details.

A few hours later, the Pentagon confirmed that US troops near the northern border of Syria were attacked by artillery from Turkish positions.

No US personnel were injured, but the Pentagon spokesman, Navy Captain Brook DeWalt, warned Ankara against "actions that could result in immediate defensive action."

Increase in death toll

The Syrian Human Rights Observatory said Friday that the number of civilian deaths was 17 on the Syrian side, while 17 were also killed in Turkey.

According to the Observatory, 54 SDF fighters were also killed, while Turkey reported the deaths of four soldiers.

"Every concern I had about President Trump's decision on Syria is coming true," said Lindsey Graham, a faithful Republican senator and a prominent voice in US foreign policy.

The offensive, the third Turkish operation of this type since the beginning of the war in Syria, received a fierce international condemnation.

But Trump has portrayed his decision to withdraw troops as part of his electoral promise to end the United States' participation in "ridiculous and endless wars."