But the Pentagon denied accusations it had abandoned its Syrian Kurdish allies, its strongest partner in the battle against Islamic State, to the Turkish military onslaught. On Friday, Graham accused Turkey of serious crimes in Syria and said Trump was doing too little. "We are witnessing ethnic cleansing in Syria by Turkey, the destruction of a reliable ally in the Kurds, and the reemergence of ISIS (Islamic State)," Graham said in a statement. "We, the US military, have no responsibility to ... secure those ISIS prisoners in Syria," Milley said. Pentagon officials also stressed the need for Turkey to avoid endangering US forces inside Syria, who numbered about 1,000 prior to the incursion.

Source: bd News24 October 11, 2019 22:07 UTC