A single statement by the White House on Oct. 6 was all it took to completely upend a years-long geopolitical balancing act in northeast Syria. It said that “Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into northern Syria,” and that the U.S. military “will no longer be in the immediate area.” “We are out of there.” Seven days later, it was chaos on the ground in Syria. Turkey is attacking U.S. allies. The country’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, is retaking territory and there are major risks of an ISIS resurgence. At least 200,000 people have fled their homes. Here’s how the situation deteriorated in just seven days. President Trump essentially greenlights Turkish President Erdogan’s planned incursion into northern Syria as the U.S. says it’s pulling troops back. The Turks want to take out longstanding Kurdish rivals, but these are the same Kurds who helped America fight ISIS. The Kurds say they are being abandoned. We talked by phone to a local reporter. Many Trump critics and allies agree. “The Kurds will now align with Assad because we abandoned them. Nothing better for ISIS.” United States forces withdraw from several positions in northeastern Syria, including Tel Abyad and Tel Arqam. Turkish convoys and pro-Turkish Syrian militias are seen moving toward strategic locations along the border. The Turkish attack begins. Airstrikes and shelling send people fleeing. Many head toward the Iraqi border. Others seek refuge near U.S. bases. Kurdish forces respond by shelling Turkish territory. Turkish forces and their allied militias then escalate the fighting by beginning ground attacks. Civilians are caught in the crossfire, including children. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Kurdish forces struggle to both fend off the incursion and guard facilities holding ISIS fighters and their families. ISIS, which had been gathering new strength, claims a car bomb that killed at least one civilian and wounded several others. And Kurdish officials say five ISIS members escaped from a nearby prison. That night, Turkish artillery fire hits close to known U.S. troops in the area. [shots fired] Turkish-backed Syrian fighters kill Kurdish prisoners. Hevrin Khalaf, the head of a Kurdish political party, dies in a suspected targeted killing along the main highway. A nearby airstrike causes chaos at Ein Eissa prison. Hundreds of ISIS-linked female detainees later escape the nearby camp, according to a local official. The deadliest attack of the week occurs when the Turks strike a convoy, killing a dozen people, including civilians, and leaving more than 50 wounded. President Trump announces a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria, with only a small contingent remaining at one base at the southern border. Left with few options for defending themselves, the Kurdish forces formerly allied with the U.S. strike a deal with American foe President Assad. They exchange territory for protection against the Turks. So in just one week, as the U.S. retreats from northern Syria, a dictatorship is back on the rise.