The base had been so hastily abandoned that photographs show it was still powered and stocked with food. Russian journalists took footage of the abandoned base and claimed in media broadcasts, “Manbij is ours!” Turkey immediately began an offense against Kurdish militias in the region, who had lost over 10,000 soldiers fighting alongside the US against ISIS. Trump later tweeted about his own “great and unmatched wisdom” regarding the matter.

Though the Kurds had long been US allies in the region, Trump dismissed concerns about them by saying they are “no angels.” He also suggested that the Kurds were releasing ISIS prisoners, though other US officials have said that this was being done by Turkish-backed forces. Concerns about the released ISIS prisoners were dismissed as being a problem for Europe instead of the United States. Trump claimed that allies like the United Kingdom’s were “thrilled” with his decision, though the UK government has denied this, and opposed any Turkish incursion. Other reports with sources in Trump’s administration assert that he believed Turkey to be bluffing, and that it wouldn’t actually attack Syria.

Trump also claimed that the soldiers that had been stationed in Syria would be coming home, when in fact they were just to be redeployed to Iraq.

Newsweek – RUSSIANS SHARE VIDEOS FROM HASTILY ABANDONED U.S. BASE IN SYRIA: ‘MANBIJ IS OURS!’
Independent – Trump says Kurds are ‘no angels’, after US allies helped defeat Isis
Business Insider – Trump suggested the Kurds were releasing ISIS prisoners, but US officials say Turkish-backed forces are actually doing this
Independent – ‘No idea where that came from’: Government denies Trump’s claim UK was ‘thrilled’ with his Syria decision
Axios – Behind the scenes of the Trump bluff that kicked off Turkey’s invasion
The Washington Post – Trump isn’t ‘bringing our soldiers back home’ from Syria