Newsbrief: Trump removes sanctions from Turkey

by Paul Lambert
edited by Brian Carey

President Donald Trump announced last week that he would be lifting economic sanctions on Turkey in the wake of his decision to withdraw troops from the region, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Trump’s sudden removal of troops from northern Syria is based largely on his policy of reducing military involvement in the Middle East. 

(Photo: Los Angeles Times)

The decision to lift sanctions puts Trump at odds with Republican lawmakers, as moving American troops out of Syria has allowed Turkey to invade the region and attack Kurdish groups. Kurdish fighters helped the U.S. in removing ISIS from power in the Middle East. 

The sanctions Trump is backing off of were implemented just two weeks ago to punish Turkey for attacking the Kurds.

Trump did not rule out the possibility of reimposing sanctions if Turkey does not “honor its obligations, including the protection of religious and ethnic minorities.”