QAMISHLI, Syria (NBC) – Kurdish civilians are begging U.S. troops in Syria not to leave while they’re lives and future hand in the balance.
The Kurds held signs addressed to U.S. troops leaving Syria, “Tell you[r] children, Kurdish children are dying, and we did nothing to protect them.”
Some of the demonstrators got angry, throwing stones.
Activists and Kurdish officials tell NBC News the videos are genuine.
Many U.S. forces troops saying they do feel profound guilt at what is happening right in front of them with hundreds of Kurds killed in the last two weeks.
Hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes while U.S. troops have orders not to intervene.
The Kurds say Turkey’s assault, now mostly paused until a ceasefire ends on Tuesday, is a campaign of ethnic cleansing. These are the same Kurds who fought side-by-side with U.S. forces in Syria for five years against ISIS.
Multiple senior U.S. commanders tell us they were the best and most loyal partners they’ve ever worked with.
Some U.S. forces have already left, crossing the border into Iraq.
The defense secretary said the administration is considering leaving a small number of U.S. forces in northern Syria. They would primarily be protecting oil fields.
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