FINANCIAL THINGS.
ASHLEY: THAT WAS PRESIDENT TRUMP
TELLING REPORTERS THIS AFTERNOON
THAT HE WILL TAKE A WAIT AND SEE
APPROACH TO SYRIA AND HIS
DECISION TO PULL OUT.
MEANWHILE, LATEST REPORTS HAVE
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SYRIANS
FLEEING THEIR HOMES AS TURKISH
FORCES RAMP UP THE MILITARY
OFFENSIVE ON KURDISH-HELD AREAS.
FOX'S REPORTER IS IN JERUSALEM
NOW WITH THE VERY LATEST
DETAILS.
TREY?
>> ASHLEY, WITH THE TURKISH
MILITARY OPERATION UNDERWAY IN
NORTHERN SYRIA, WE ARE GETTING
REPORTS OF CIVILIAN CASUALTIES
ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER.
THIS MORNING TURKISH AIRSTRIKES
POUNDED KURDISH VILLAGES AS THE
SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES
RESPONDED BY FIRING ROCKETS.
THE TURKISH ARTILLERY UNITS AND
TANKS WERE ALSO USED TODAY AS
THE GROUND PORTION OF THE
OPERATION STARTED LAST NIGHT.
AS CLASHES CONTINUE MORE
CONDEMNATION OF THE MILITARY
INVASION IS COMING IN FROM
AROUND THE WORLD.
INCLUDING IN ISRAEL WHERE THE
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU
RELEASED A STATEMENT VOICING HIS
SUPPORT FOR THE KURDS.
WITH THE STATEMENTS NEW IMAGES
ARE COMING OUT TODAY FROM SYRIA
SHOWING CIVILIANS INJURED AND
KILLED IN TURKISH STRIKES.
IN ONE VIDEO YOU CAN HEAR THE
GRIEVING FAMILIES OF THESE
VICTIMS.
EACH ONE TRYING TO COMPREHEND
WHAT HAS HAPPENED AS THE ASSAULT
IN NORTHERN SYRIA CONTINUES.
WHILE TURKISH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN
SAYS THE OPERATION THIS WEEK IS
MEANT TO STABILIZE SYRIA,
MILITARY EXPERTS SAY ATTACKING
THE KURDS WILL DO JUST THE
OPPOSITE.
>> Translator: SINCE THE
BEGINNING OF THE OPERATION, 109
TERRORISTS HAVE BEEN KILLED SO
FAR.
JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER
OPERATIONS CARRIED OUT BY
TURKEY, THE AIM OF THE --
[INAUDIBLE] -- IS TO CONTRIBUTE
TO SYRIA'S TERRITORIAL AND
POLITICAL INTEGRITY.
>> ERDOGAN IS NOT REFERRING TO
ISIS HERE WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT
TERRORISTS.
HE'S REFERRING TO THE KURDS.
THE SAME KURDS THAT JUST THREE
DAYS AGO WERE ALLIED WITH THE
UNITED STATES BEFORE BEING
ABANDONED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP.
ASHLEY?
ASHLEY: TREY, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
LET'S BRING IN NOW, IF WE CAN,
FORMER DELTA FORCE MEMBER.
BRET, I KNOW WE HAVE TALKED
BEFORE.
YOU WERE IN THE MILITARY.
YOU KNOW THE KURDS VERY WELL.
YOU CALL THEM BROTHERS IN ARMS.
WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO WHAT THE
PRESIDENT HAS DONE PULLING THE
U.S. OUT OF THIS NORTHERN SYRIAN
REGION?
>> HI, ASHLEY, FIRST LET ME SAY
THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THE
KURDS IS A REAL STRATEGY.
THE RED CARPET THAT WE BASICALLY
LAID OUT FOR THE TURKS TO WALK
RIGHT INTO SYRIA AND SET THE
CONDITIONS FOR A KURDISH
GENOCIDE AND DISPLACEMENT IS
FRANKLY AN EMBARRASSMENT TO
DECADES OF OUR FOREIGN POLICY
EFFORTS, EFFORTS BY WHICH WE
BUILT A LEVEL OF CREDIBILITY AND
MUTUAL TRUST WITH OUR ALLIES.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL BE --
GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE
PRESIDENT'S -- ONE OF HIS
BIGGEST MISTAKES DURING HIS
TENURE, AND THE DEMOCRATS ARE
SURELY GOING TO USE THIS AGAINST
HIM IN THE NEXT ELECTION.
I THINK MOST AMERICANS RIGHT NOW
ARE FINALLY STARTING TO LEARN
WHAT -- HOW IMPORTANT THE KURDS
ARE TO OUR FORCES DOWN RANGE,
AND ESPECIALLY HOW WE USED THEM
TO HELP BREAK THE ISIS
CALIPHATE, BUT THEY MAY NOT
UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY THERE.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE
KURDS FOR DECADES.
AND I PERSONALLY WORKED WITH THE
KURDISH COUNTERTERRORISM UNITS
WELL BEFORE WE STARTED THIS WAR
AGAINST THE ISIS CALIPHATE.
MANY SENIOR LEVEL TERRORIST
LEADERS THAT MY TEAM HUNTED NOT
JUST WITHIN THE ISLAMIC STATE OF
IRAQ BUT ALSO OTHER TERRORIST
GROUPS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
CAPTURED STOPPED OR KILLED
WITHOUT THE DIRECT HELP OF
KURDISH FORCES.
THEY WERE OUR BROTHERS IN ARMS
AND OUR ALLY
AND OUR ALIE
AND OUR AALE
AND OUR AALLIES.
IT IS TERRIBLE TO SEE WHAT'S
HAPPENING HERE.
IT IS ALSO TERRIBLE TO SEE THAT
THE U.S. ADVISORS HAVE TO STARE
THEM AT IN THE FACE AND SAY
THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT
IT, THAT THEIR HANDS ARE TIED
BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE THE
PRESIDENT MADE THIS DECISION
UNILATERALLY WITHOUT TAKING THE
ADVICE OF THE MILITARY.
ASHLEY: TO THAT POINT, BRET, WE
HEARD THE PRESIDENT JUST A FEW
MINUTES AGO, HE SAYS THAT THE
UNITED STATES DOES NOT WANT TO
FIGHT, QUOTE, THESE ENDLESS
SENSELESS WARS.
HE ALSO SAYS THAT TURKEY IN
EXCHANGE HAS PROMISED PROTECTION
OF CIVILIANS, RELIGIOUS MY
MINORITIES AND BASICALLY AN
ASSERTION THERE WILL BE NO
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS.
>> WELL, WE'RE ALREADY SEEING
THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE HERE.
THEY HAVE ALREADY APPARENTLY IN
24 HOURS KILLED OVER 100 KURDISH
FIGHTERS.
THERE'S NO TALK OF THEM STOPPING
ANY OF THE ISIS FIGHTERS.
THAT'S THE PROBLEM HERE.
THE OTHER ISSUE IS WE ARE LOSING
OUR ALLIES IN THE REGION QUITE
FRANKLY.
THIS IS AN AREA WHERE ALLIANCES
SHIFT LIKE THE WIND.
WE NEED THE KURDS.
THEY WERE THAT ONE GROUP THAT WE
COULD COUNT ON TO BE THERE TO
HELP US IN OUR EFFORTS.
AND IF I'M IRAN RIGHT NOW, I'M
SITTING HERE THINKING WHAT A
GREAT OPPORTUNITY IT IS TO BRING
THE KURDS OVER ON THEIR SIDES
BECAUSE THE IRANIANS AND THE
RUSSIANS HAVE BEEN PUSHING THIS
NARRATIVE THAT THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT LACKS THE CREDIBILITY
THAT WE ARE AN UNTRUSTWORTHY AND
UNRELIABLE PARTNER TO WORK WITH,
AND THAT'S I THINK THE BIGGEST
PROBLEM HERE.
I'M TELLING YOU WITH WHAT I HAVE
SEEN OVER THE LAST YEAR WITH
ISIS PRISONERS GETTING RELEASED
AND OTHER ATTACKS STILL
OCCURRING IN THE REGION, I CAN
PROMISE YOU THAT WE ARE GOING TO
HAVE TO COME BACK OUT THERE AND
BRING A U.S. MILITARY FORCE TO
LEAD THE FIGHT AGAINST ISIS, ONE
DAY.
ASHLEY: YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT
ISIS WILL REFORM, IF YOU LIKE,
AND AGAIN POSE AS BIG A THREAT
AS IT DID BEFORE?
>> WE ARE STARTING TO SEE THAT
ALREADY IN SOME OF THE POCKETS
THAT WERE ALLEGEDLY LIBERATED
FROM ISIS CONTROL.
AND RIGHT NOW WE TALK ABOUT
THESE ISIS PRISONERS.
WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THE
SHELLING OF THESE CAMPS WHERE
THE KURDISH FIGHTERS HAVE BEEN,
YOU KNOW, HOLDING THESE
PRISONERS AND THEY HAVE BEEN
GETTING SHELLED BY TURKISH
FORCES.
EVEN BEFORE THE TURKISH
INCURSION, THERE WAS A PROBLEM
WITH ISIS PRISONERS.
WE BELIEVE THAT SOME POINT THESE
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PRISONERS
THAT WERE SITTING THERE WERE
GOING TO HAVE TO BE RELEASED AT
SOME POINT BECAUSE THESE SYRIAN
DEFENSE FORCE BUSINESSES ARE
OVERCAPACITY.
THE -- DEFENSE FORCE PRISONS
ARE OVERCAPACITY.
WE HAVE SWITCHED THE ATTENTION
OF THE KURDS.
WE HAVE TAKEN THEM OFF THESE
PRISON CAMPS ALL TOGETHER.
THE KURDS HAVE ALREADY RESENTED
THE TURKS.
THEY HAVE ALWAYS HATED THE TURKS
BUT FOCUSED THEIR ATTENTION ON
THE MORE IMMEDIATE THREAT AND
THAT HAD BEEN ISIS.
NOW WE BASICALLY -- WE SAW JUST
YESTERDAY A STATEMENT FROM THE
SYRIAN DEFENSE FORCES THAT SAID
ALL MILITARY OPERATIONS AGAINST
ISIS HAVE STOPPED WITHIN
NORTHERN SYRIA BECAUSE OF THIS
TURKISH INCURSION.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM
THAT'S GOING TO REVERBERATE FOR
YEARS NOW BECAUSE OF THIS.
ASHLEY: I HOPE THAT'S NOT THE
CASE.
CERTAINLY NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO
HAS BEEN SAYING THIS.
BRET, I'M SORRY WE'RE OUT OF
TIME.