Vice President Mike Pence made headlines on Thursday after he and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in a press conference that the U.S. had brokered a temporary ceasefire with Turkey for the region in Syria where President Donald Trump pulled out U.S. troops.
But according to CNN , violent clashes continued to erupt in the region, including artillery fire and the shelling of Ras al-Ain — a town that sits on the border of Turkey and Syria which has a significant presence of U.S.-friendly Kurdish military forces.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — a force led by the Kurds — reported that Turkish military forces struck a hospital in the attack along with a number of civilian targets which resulted in civilian casualties. Syrian rebel proxy groups were supporting Turkish military forces in the deadly attacks.
SDF press commander Merivan Qamishlo explained that while his group is committed to upholding the ceasefire, the city of Ras al-Ain is currently surrounded by Turkish military forces — both air and ground assets. He labeled the Turkish military attacks in the wake of the temporary ceasefire as “catastrophic.”
“The situation inside the Ras al-Ain Hospital is catastrophic. Three ambulance vehicles belonging to the Kurdish Red Crescent were prevented from entering and were shot at,” Qamishlo said.
But on Friday, Trump took to social media in an attempt to downplay what transpired in the hours after his vice president and secretary of state brokered the ceasefire with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
“Just spoke to President Erdogan of Turkey. He told me there was minor sniper and mortar fire that was quickly eliminated. He very much wants the ceasefire, or pause, to work. Likewise, the Kurds want it, and the ultimate solution, to happen,” Trump posted on both Facebook and Twitter.
The president took a jab at previous administrations for not fixing the problem, before reassuring everyone that both sides are committed to the ceasefire deal.
“There is good will on both sides & a really good chance for success. The U.S. has secured the Oil, & the ISIS Fighters are double secured by Kurds & Turkey,” Trump wrote.
Trump also revealed in the social media posts that several unspecified European nations said they’re willing to take in any ISIS fighters that originated from their countries.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr , news of the renewed attacks come amid the announcement of an “urgent” prayer service for Kurdish forces hosted by Christian missionary group Frontier Alliance International. The group’s leader, Dalton Thomas, said in a statement that he felt that he needed to do something for the Kurdish forces who were being targeted by the Turkish military attack.
