Is the U.S. Betraying Its Kurdish Allies?

<p>President Trump vowed to withdraw United States troops from the Syrian border with Turkey. But such a move could harm one of America’s most loyal partners in the Middle East, the Kurds, who have been crucial to fighting the Islamic State. Guest: Eric Schmitt, who covers terrorism and national security for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/thedaily" target="_blank">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. </p><p>Background coverage: </p><ul><li>President Trump’s announcement <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/us/politics/turkey-syria-trump.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">raised fears that he was giving Turkey the go-ahead to move against Kurdish forces</a> in northern Syria.</li><li>The American pullback could create a void in the region that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/world/middleeast/trump-turkey-syria-kurds.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">could benefit Iran, Russia and the Islamic State</a>.</li><li>American troops have “operated between two allies: Turkey and the Kurds,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/world/middleeast/syria-turkey-kurds-military.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">our colleagues write in a news analysis</a>. “The problem for Washington has been that the two hate each other.”</li></ul>