US sanctions fail to halt Turkey assault in Syrian border region

Syria, October 15 

Turkey ignored US sanctions and pressed on with its assault on northern Syria on Tuesday, while the Russia-backed Syrian army roared into one of the most hotly contested cities abandoned by the US forces in Donald Trump’s retreat.

Reuters journalists accompanied Syrian government forces who entered the centre of the city of Manbij, a flashpoint where the US troops had previously conducted joint patrols with Turkey.

Russian and Syrian flags were flying from a building on the city outskirts, and from a convoy of military vehicles.

A week after reversing the US policy and moving troops out of the way to allow Turkey to attack Washington’s Syrian allies, Trump announced a package of sanctions to punish Ankara.

But the measures - mainly a hike in steel tariffs and a pause in trade talks - were less robust than financial markets had expected, and Trump’s critics derided them as too feeble to have an impact.

Russian-backed Syrian forces moved swiftly to fill the void left by departing Americans from Manbij west of the Euphrates river. 

The Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said Trump’s sanctions were too little, too late. — Reuters

‘UN Security Council meet on Syria likely today’   

The United Nations Security Council will likely hold a meeting on Wednesday to discuss latest developments in Syria, envoys said. The meet had been requested by European members