Senator Lindsey Graham meets with Turkish President Erdogan

ANKARA, Turkey (NBC) – Republican Senator Lindsey Graham met with Turkish leaders Friday to discuss the U.S. withdrawal from Syria.

Senator Graham spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan  about the creation of a safe zone in northeast Syria for staunch U.S. allies, the Kurds.

President Trump decided to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria after talking with Erdogan over the phone.

Erdogan told Trump the U.S. isn’t needed in Syria and Turkey can take care of the remaining two-thousand remaining ISIS fighters. But Erdogan didn’t make any guarantees about the Kurds.

Turkey sees Kurds in Turkey, who want a separate state, as terrorists.

Graham’s visit comes just a few days after a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS, killed four Americans in Syria.

Graham said he is concerned that President Trump’s withdrawal announcement emboldened ISIS militants and created instability for American allies.

© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.

Skip to content