Posted on 10/16/2019 9:31:20 AM PDT by robowombat
President Trump said Wednesday that Turkey’s offensive against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in northern Syria is “not our problem,” defending his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the region amid criticism.
"If Turkey goes into Syria, it is between Turkey and Syria. It’s not our problem,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
Trump also downplayed the U.S. alliance with the Kurds, calling them “no angels” and saying the U.S. “paid a lot of money” for the Syrian Kurdish forces to fight alongside U.S. troops against ISIS.
Trump’s remarks came as a U.S. delegation led by Vice President Mike Pence prepared to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara in an attempt to broker a ceasefire in the region.
“The Kurds are much safer right now, but the Kurds know how to fight, and as I said, they’re not angels. They’re not angels. You take a look… but they fought with us. We paid a lot of money for them to fight with us, and that’s OK,” Trump said Wednesday in the Oval Office.
"If Russia wants to get involved with Syria, that’s really up to them. They have a problem with Turkey. They have a problem at a border. It’s not our border, we shouldn’t be losing lives over it,” Trump said later.
Trump has faced tremendous blowback over his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria as Turkey prepared to launch a military operation at the border, including harsh criticism from some of his Republican allies.
Many critics have argued that Trump’s move effectively greenlit Ankara's operation and that the president abandoned Kurdish forces, a key U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS. Turkey has long viewed the Syrian Kurds as a terrorist group.
The decision has also raised concerns about the potential for large numbers of ISIS fighters detained in the region to be released, undoing much of the work by U.S. and other forces to contain the terror group.
Administration officials have rejected the notion that Trump’s decision to pull back troops paved the way for the Turkish operation.
Trump has continued to defend his decision, saying he wants to get the U.S. out of “endless wars.” On Monday, he also announced sanctions on Turkey.
Trump also asserted that the situation on the Turkish border with Syria was “strategically brilliant” for the United States, pointing to the fact that the Kurds had struck a deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for protection.
"So I view the situation on the Turkish border with Syria to be, for the United States, strategically brilliant. Our soldiers are out of there. Our soldiers are totally safe. They’ve got to work it out… Syria’s protecting the Kurds, that’s good. And by the way, every player hates ISIS,” Trump said.
Trump also at one point suggested that some ISIS fighters in the region had been released for “effect” to force the U.S. to return to the region.
Pence is traveling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump’s new national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, to Ankara to meet with Erdogan on Thursday in an attempt to broker a ceasefire in the region. The visit comes after Trump held a phone call with Erdogan earlier in the week.
“We’re watching and we’re negotiating and we’re trying to get Turkey to do the right thing,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
Tensions between Trump and Republicans showed signs of easing following the announcement of sanctions and the ceasefire efforts. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump ally who vocally criticized the pullback from northern Syria, has supported Trump’s efforts on sanctions and a potential ceasefire.
-- Updated at 12:09 p.m.
Not only did he have cover from the Ministry of Propaganda, the Kenyanesian Usurper also had the GOP War Chorus behind him singing backup.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
After defeating 100% of the ISIS Caliphate, I largely moved our troops out of Syria. Let Syria and Assad protect the Kurds and fight Turkey for their own land. I said to my Generals, why should we be fighting for Syria....
....and Assad to protect the land of our enemy? Anyone who wants to assist Syria in protecting the Kurds is good with me, whether it is Russia, China, or Napoleon Bonaparte. I hope they all do great, we are 7,000 miles away!
3:10 PM · Oct 14, 201
All that US Senate bribe money from Qatar, going up in smoke. Trump’s life would be in danger if his enemies weren’t convinced he is a clown who has no idea what he is doing. It’s a necessary part of his act.
Let Saudi, Jordan, Dubai, Kuwait, UAE and others deal with it.
Our so called allies in Western Europe can send troops if they want...but they won’t
The magic negro got us in, Trump got us out.
The Russians were also our allies in WW2. Should we have sided with them in Syria? I think not...
How soon we forget Benghazi. It was all to produce, sell, and smuggle product through Benghazi. And the taxpayers footed the bill for all of it.
Well the deal is done now. The SDF and Assad’s SAA signed an agreement for the Kurd’s Rojava to rejoin Syria, wall to wall. Turkey’s “safe zone” ain’t safe no more.
The Syrian Kurds will be semi-autonomous, similar to Iraqi Kurds.
The SDF will become a regional force, similar to our National Guard.
We never gave the SDF artillery or armor, they can’t fight Turkey without.
Now Assad and the Russians are taking over the fight. We just turned over a fire base outside Kobani to the Russians.
The Russians are flying combat air patrols. Assad’s armor is moving all over. The SDF has agreed to support the fighting in the Afrin area.
We will keep operational bases in SE Syria to interdict ISIS and Iranina smuggling to Hizb’allah.
Amen!
Funny how the the left are screaming about ‘abandoning the Kurds”, and screaming about ‘Our soldiers having had to die for nothing” by our going home, yet the left were completely silent about obama pulling troops out of iraq AFTER our soldiers had sacrificed so much to free the Iraqi people from a brutal hitler-type leader, and the terrorists moved in and slaughtered the Iraqi people en mass after we left there so quickly!
Where was your condemnation of obama msm you worthless hypocrites?
The President is right about this. If we’d stayed out of world war one there wouldnt have been a world war two.
Or for the simple fact that Israel didn’t exist either
Trump is right.
You forgot the quotes around “Allies”
They were our allies for the common goal of stopping Hitler
That was it
The 16 Times Obama Promised "No Boots on the Ground" in Syria
It’s like that old wargame “Cossacks”... when you’re low on gold, and just as soon as you’re busy somewhere else on the board... those bastard mercenaries wipe your ass out for you! They leave you hanging... so, yeah, they’re your friends as long as the gold holds out!
A very long time ago going to Angeles City outside Clark AB, a little local entrepreneur of about 5-6 years old came up and offered to be my friend for a peso! I gave him a peso and he walked along with me for almost an entire 100 feet, then told me he needed another peso to continue being my friend... that little stunt was amusing only once. But, hey! A deal is a deal, right?
BWAaaaaaa.....Napoleon Bonaparte.....
President Trump just busted the internet.
Take that Euroweenies.
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