Oct 24th 2019CAIRO AND ISTANBULFOUR YEARS after they were welcomed as protectors, American troops leaving north-east Syria received a less friendly send-off. As they drove out of the region, a surprise withdrawal ordered by President Donald Trump earlier this month, angry locals pelted their armoured cars with rocks and tomatoes. “Like rats,” one man yelled.America’s retreat cleared the way for Turkey to invade and dislodge a Kurdish militia, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), that controlled the region. Backed by a raggedy crew of Syrian Arab mercenaries, the Turkish invasion was a fatal blow to Kurdish autonomy. The YPG had no choice but to seek protection from Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s dictator, and surrender most of its self-rule in return.Choose us for news analysis that respects your time and intelligenceSubscribe to The EconomistWe filter out the noise of the daily news cycle and analyse the trends that matterWe give you rigorous, deeply researched and fact-checked journalism. That’s why Americans named us their most trusted news source in 2017Available wherever you are—in print, digital and, uniquely, in audio, fully narrated by professional broadcastersThis website adheres to all nine of NewsGuard‘s standards of credibility and transparency.ORContinue reading this articleRegister with an email address