The abrupt move, announced in a Sunday night statement from the White House press secretary following a call between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has prompted a rare show of bipartisan opposition to the Republican President. Trump also sought to downplay the seeming suddenness of his decision, saying he "consulted with everybody." McConnell on Monday urged Trump to reverse his move, saying "a precipitous withdrawal of US forces from Syria would only benefit Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime." "The Department of Defense made clear to Turkey - as did the President - that we do not endorse a Turkish operation in Northern Syria. The senior State Department official said that the implementation of the safe zone had been suspended.

Source: CNN October 07, 2019 18:54 UTC