A bipartisan group of US senators said Wednesday they have agreed on far-reaching sanctions to be slapped on NATO ally Turkey if its forces do not withdraw from neighbouring Syria.
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The first strikes in the Turkish offensive against Kurdish militia forces formerly backed by the United States took place on Wednesday, as Turkey launched air strikes and ground offensives near the border town of Ras al-Ain.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that a military offensive had been launched into northeastern Syria on Wednesday, tweeting that their aim was to “destroy the terror corridor which is trying to be established on our southern border and to bring peace and peace to the region.”
In a statement, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that the attack killed two civilians and injured two others near Ras al-Ain. "We call on all the countries of the international coalition...to bear their responsibility and prevent a possible, imminent humanitarian crisis,” the SDF said.
Turkey is believed to have attacked positions of the SDFs, a largely Kurdish-led coalition of forces on the border between Syria and Turkey. Turkey’s stated aim was to push them at least 32km away from the border to create a ‘safe zone’, as it views the Kurdish fighters as terrorists. The total territory would include all of that which is currently controlled by the SDF.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he and Democrat Chris Van Hollen are introducing legislation that would freeze all US assets of Turkey's political leadership—including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his vice president and the defence minister.
It would also impose sanctions on entities that do business with Turkey's military, or with oil and gas companies that service its armed forces.
Graham and several other US lawmakers are furious over President Donald Trump's sudden military withdrawal from positions in northern Syria, blasting the move as a betrayal of Kurdish forces who for years have helped fight Islamic militants, and as an effective green light for Turkey to launch its long-planned offensive.
"While the administration refuses to act against Turkey, I expect strong bipartisan support for the measure," Graham said on Twitter.
Sanctions would be levied immediately upon enactment of the bill, which requires a presidential signature.
It would remain in effect unless the administration certifies to Congress that Turkey is not operating alone and has withdrawn its forces from areas occupied during operations that began Wednesday.
"These sanctions will have immediate, far-reaching consequences for Erdogan and his military," Van Hollen said on Twitter.
With Congress currently in recess, it is unlikely that any action on the measure would be taken before next week. The House and Senate are back in session on Tuesday.
Trump last year slapped tariffs on Turkey that threw the country's currency, the lira, into a tailspin as the two sides were at loggerheads over the detention in Turkey of American pastor Andrew Brunson.
-Inputs from PTI
