NewsNational

Actions

CIA director to Turkey: Strikes in Syria put US troops in danger

Biden Cabinet CIA
Posted at 2:51 PM, Dec 07, 2022
and last updated 2022-12-07 16:52:43-05

CIA Director Bill Burns has contacted his counterpart in Turkey to warn their government in strong language that the U.S. opposes any operation in Syria that would put American troops in unnecessary danger.

As Axios reported, recent artillery strikes and airstrikes using drones operated by the Turkish intelligence service have put American forces in northern Syria in danger.

A Nov. 13 terror attack in Istanbul sparked the Turkish operation after the government claimed Kurdish militias in northern Syria were responsible for the attack on Turkish soil.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also spoke to his counterpart in Turkey recently along with U.S. chairman of the joint chiefs Gen. Mark Milley.

There has been a push for the U.S. to do more, citing a "moral duty" to stop Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from ordering a military ground offensive into northeastern Syria, which is controlled by a Kurdish government.

While the White House and the CIA have not immediately commented publicly on the matter, the U.S. has made its communication with Turkey public saying it strongly opposes military action.