Tel Aviv – President Donald Trump Threatened Turkey Sunday That He Would “devastate It Economically” If It Attacks Kurdish Troops Following The U.s.’s Withdrawal From Syria.
He also warned the Kurds against “provoking” Ankara.
Trump’s surprise announcement last month ordering the complete pullout of U.S. troops from Syria elicited condemnation from various interested parties including U.S. commanders and Israel, and prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
The move was also seen as a betrayal of the Kurdish YPG militia, which was at the forefront of the fight against the Islamic State in northeastern Syria.
U.S. commanders proposed that Kurdish fighters battling the Islamic State terror group be allowed to keep U.S.-supplied weapons, Reuters reported late last month.
Turkey, which considers the YPG a terrorist group, has no desire for them to keep their weapons out of concern they will end up in the hands of Kurdish separatists.
“Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds,” Trump tweeted, and added that he wished to see the creation of a 20-mile “safe zone.”- READ MORE