Turkey’s suspicions over purported Western plans in Syria have shown no signs of abating even after President Donald Trump announced he had ordered US troops to withdraw and pledged “a slow and highly coordinated” pullout in keeping with Ankara’s demands.
The new focus of Turkish ire is France, whose president, Emmanuel Macron, has lashed out at Trump’s decision, saying “an ally should be dependable.” The country could play a bridging role between the Kurds, Moscow and Washington that could upset Turkish plans or so many Kurds hope.