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The mood is tense in Amuda, the Syrian community on the Turkish border where Dr. Haval Chweich grew up and many of his uncles, aunts, and cousins still live.
Strikes on nearby Sere Kaniye by Turkish forces have made Chweich’s relatives worry that the violence will soon be at their doorstep, and some would like to flee, but their options are limited.
“They’re really disturbed, anxious, and really scared that Turkey would attack that area,” said Chweich, a Melrose resident and a physician at Tufts Medical Center. “There isn’t really any safe place to be in now.”
WASHINGTON — Moments ago in Turkey, Vice President Mike Pence announced a 120-hour ceasefire between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds. The deal will force the Kurds living in Turkey’s desired buffer zone from their homes and extracts no concessions from Turkey. The deal also includes no sanctions on Turkey’s leaders in response to their invasion of Kurdish held territory in Syria after the president’s decision to abandon America’s Kurdish allies.
Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) made the following statement:
The United States and Turkey have agreed to a temporary cease-fire in northern Syria that gives Kurdish fighters five days to leave the area, with President Trump lauding the deal as “a great day for civilization” even as it appears to favor Turkish interests in the region.
“This is a great day for civilization,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “I am proud of the United States for sticking by me in following a necessary, but somewhat unconventional, path. People have been trying to make this ‘Deal’ for many years. Millions of lives will be saved. Congratulations to ALL!”
On Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence announced that the U.S. has reached a ceasefire agreement with Turkey in Syria. Turkey denies the agreement is a ceasefire, calling it instead, "just a pause." We break down the latest news out of the nation's capitol, and check in with Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton.
Guests
Rep. Seth Moulton, Massachusetts congressman representing the 6th district. He tweets @sethmoulton.
Moulton Demands Congress Hold Erdogan, Trump Accountable Ahead of Syria Vote
WASHINGTON — Today, from the floor of the House of Representatives, Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) demanded a strategy to protect America’s Kurdish allies and prevent the resurgence of ISIS that the president’s decision is expected to create.
The full speech is below. A broadcast quality clip of the speech is available here.
SALEM — The unfolding military and humanitarian "disaster" in Northern Syria has hit home for a Kurdish-American family that lives in Swampscott who fears the region is witnessing a genocidal campaign by invading Turkish forces.
"As we speak now, the bombs are being dropped on top of the houses," said Seyhmus Yuksekkaya, 50, co-founder of the New England Kurdish Association.
He and his wife came by the Front Street office of U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, Tuesday morning to explain the ongoing situation in a Kurdish region known as Rojava.
Seyhmus Yuksekkaya of Swampscott, a Kurdish native of southeastern Turkey, said he knows firsthand what Turkish oppression looks like. It’s an enduring, embedded hostility that originated long before he came to the United States for safety and freedom 20 years ago, he said.
On Tuesday, as Turkish troops continued to pound Kurdish enclaves in northern Syria, Yuksekkaya struggled to find the words to fully convey the consequences of President Trump’s abrupt decision last week to withdraw US troops from that area.
Tufts renewed its contract with the Confucius Institute, a Chinese government-funded language and cultural education center, until 2021, after a semester-long review process that was triggered by concerns over Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence and suppression of academic freedom.
The review committee’s report, published Tuesday, found that while Confucius Institute instructors avoided sensitive political topics, there is no evidence of CCP propaganda being disseminated through the institute’s language instruction or cultural activities.
Gloucester’s congressional delegation is urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to pony up the additional $2.4 million necessary so the long-sought dredging of the Annisquam River can begin on time on Oct. 1.
In a letter to the commander of the Army Corps’ New England District, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and U.S. Sens. Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren stated the project — to remove sand, silt and gravel to return the river and portions of the Lobster Cove anchorage to fully navigable channels — is essential to protect Cape Ann public safety, transportation and commerce.