Residents angry over the U.S. withdrawal from Syria hurl potatoes at American military vehicles in the town of Qamishli, Syria on Monday, October 21, 2019. (Photo: ANHA/Twitter Screengrab)
'Go Home America. After You Made Our Sons Die': Outraged Syrian Kurds Throw Dirt and Rotten Food at Fleeing US Troops
"To the U.S. Army who are leaving northeast Syria, tell your children that the children of the Kurds were killed by the Turks and you did nothing to protect them."
Outraged residents of the heavily Kurdish city of Qamishli, Syria on Monday hurled potatoes, rotten fruit, and dirt at American soldiers departing the northeastern region of the country on orders from U.S. President Donald Trump, whose decision paved the way for a deadly Turkish invasion.
"Like rats, America is running away," one man shouted in Arabic as a convoy of armored vehicles made its way through the city.
Other angry residents shouted "America liar" and "No America" in English as they pelted the U.S. vehicles with food.
"The scene encapsulated the Kurds' feelings of betrayal and added a new indignity to an American withdrawal that has been rushed and saw several close brushes with Turkish-backed forces," the Associated Press reported. "The Kurds were stunned when President Donald Trump two weeks ago abruptly decided to pull U.S. troops out of border areas, abandoning their allied Kurdish-backed fighters ahead of Turkey's invasion."
Watch:
The incident in Qamishli came hours after a group of protesters near the town of Tal Tamr blocked the road as U.S. tanks and trucks made their way from northeastern Syria to Iraq.
"To the U.S. Army who are leaving northeast Syria, tell your children that the children of the Kurds were killed by the Turks and you did nothing to protect them," read a sign raised by one resident.
"Thanks for U.S. people, but Trump betrayed us," read another sign.
The New York Times reported Sunday evening that Trump is considering a new plan that would leave 200 American troops in Syria to "combat the Islamic State and block the advance of Syrian government and Russian forces into the region's coveted oil fields."
Earlier Sunday, Trump tweeted that the U.S. has "secured the oil" in Syria and is "bringing soldiers home." But, as Common Dreams reported Monday, Pentagon chief Mark Esper confirmed the 1,000 American troops withdrawing from Syria are shifting to Iraq, not returning to the United States.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Outraged residents of the heavily Kurdish city of Qamishli, Syria on Monday hurled potatoes, rotten fruit, and dirt at American soldiers departing the northeastern region of the country on orders from U.S. President Donald Trump, whose decision paved the way for a deadly Turkish invasion.
"Like rats, America is running away," one man shouted in Arabic as a convoy of armored vehicles made its way through the city.
Other angry residents shouted "America liar" and "No America" in English as they pelted the U.S. vehicles with food.
"The scene encapsulated the Kurds' feelings of betrayal and added a new indignity to an American withdrawal that has been rushed and saw several close brushes with Turkish-backed forces," the Associated Press reported. "The Kurds were stunned when President Donald Trump two weeks ago abruptly decided to pull U.S. troops out of border areas, abandoning their allied Kurdish-backed fighters ahead of Turkey's invasion."
Watch:
The incident in Qamishli came hours after a group of protesters near the town of Tal Tamr blocked the road as U.S. tanks and trucks made their way from northeastern Syria to Iraq.
"To the U.S. Army who are leaving northeast Syria, tell your children that the children of the Kurds were killed by the Turks and you did nothing to protect them," read a sign raised by one resident.
"Thanks for U.S. people, but Trump betrayed us," read another sign.
The New York Times reported Sunday evening that Trump is considering a new plan that would leave 200 American troops in Syria to "combat the Islamic State and block the advance of Syrian government and Russian forces into the region's coveted oil fields."
Earlier Sunday, Trump tweeted that the U.S. has "secured the oil" in Syria and is "bringing soldiers home." But, as Common Dreams reported Monday, Pentagon chief Mark Esper confirmed the 1,000 American troops withdrawing from Syria are shifting to Iraq, not returning to the United States.
Outraged residents of the heavily Kurdish city of Qamishli, Syria on Monday hurled potatoes, rotten fruit, and dirt at American soldiers departing the northeastern region of the country on orders from U.S. President Donald Trump, whose decision paved the way for a deadly Turkish invasion.
"Like rats, America is running away," one man shouted in Arabic as a convoy of armored vehicles made its way through the city.
Other angry residents shouted "America liar" and "No America" in English as they pelted the U.S. vehicles with food.
"The scene encapsulated the Kurds' feelings of betrayal and added a new indignity to an American withdrawal that has been rushed and saw several close brushes with Turkish-backed forces," the Associated Press reported. "The Kurds were stunned when President Donald Trump two weeks ago abruptly decided to pull U.S. troops out of border areas, abandoning their allied Kurdish-backed fighters ahead of Turkey's invasion."
Watch:
The incident in Qamishli came hours after a group of protesters near the town of Tal Tamr blocked the road as U.S. tanks and trucks made their way from northeastern Syria to Iraq.
"To the U.S. Army who are leaving northeast Syria, tell your children that the children of the Kurds were killed by the Turks and you did nothing to protect them," read a sign raised by one resident.
"Thanks for U.S. people, but Trump betrayed us," read another sign.
The New York Times reported Sunday evening that Trump is considering a new plan that would leave 200 American troops in Syria to "combat the Islamic State and block the advance of Syrian government and Russian forces into the region's coveted oil fields."
Earlier Sunday, Trump tweeted that the U.S. has "secured the oil" in Syria and is "bringing soldiers home." But, as Common Dreams reported Monday, Pentagon chief Mark Esper confirmed the 1,000 American troops withdrawing from Syria are shifting to Iraq, not returning to the United States.