Washington: President Donald Trump has threatened to ‘devastate’ Turkey economically if the NATO-allied nation attacks US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria following a pullout of American troops from the war-torn country. However, Ankara has retorted by saying it will continue to fight the ‘terrorists’.
Last month, President Trump surprised the world by announcing that he is withdrawing 2000 American troops from Syria. The pullout began last week.
The US troop withdrawal has left America’s Kurdish allies vulnerable to an attack from Turkey. Ankara views the Kurdish forces as terrorists aligned with insurgents inside Turkey.
“Starting the long overdue pullout from Syria while hitting the little remaining ISIS territorial caliphate hard, and from many directions. Will attack again from existing nearby base if it reforms,” the US President said in a tweet, Sunday.
“Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds. Create 20-mile safe zone…. Likewise, do not want the Kurds to provoke Turkey,” Trump added.
Trump’s tweet is a stark threat toward an ally in the region that has partnered with the US in the fight against ISIS.
In a sharp response, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said that there was ‘no difference’ between the Islamic State extremist group and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia.
“Mr Donald Trump, Terrorists can’t be your partners & allies. Turkey expects the US to honour our strategic partnership and doesn’t want it to be shadowed by terrorist propaganda. There is no difference between DAESH, PKK, PYD and YPG. We will continue to fight against them all,” Kalin said in a tweet.
“Mr Donald Trump it is a fatal mistake to equate Syrian Kurds with the PKK, which is on the US terrorists list, and its Syria branch PYD/YPG. Turkey fights against terrorists, not Kurds. We will protect Kurds and other Syrians against all terrorist threats,” Kalin asserted.
Trump also warned ISIS that America would hit them hard from nearby military bases if it regains momentum.
Last week, Erdogan hit out at US national security adviser John Bolton for saying the US withdrawal was contingent upon Turkey’s pledge not to attack US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria once troops leave.
“Bolton made a serious mistake. If he thinks that way, he is in a big mistake. We will not compromise,” Erdogan had said.
The Pentagon has said that there is no timeline for US troop withdrawal and it would be based on ground realties.
US ground troops had first arrived in Syria in autumn 2015 when then-President Barack Obama sent in a small number of special forces to train and advise YPG fighters.