JUST IN: Trump releases statement on Turkey’s new offensive against Kurds in Syria, says it’s a “bad idea”

Trump has released a statement on Erdogan’s announcement this morning of his new offensive in Northern Syria, calling it a “bad idea”:

This morning, Turkey, a NATO member, invaded Syria. The United States does not endorse this attack and has made it clear to Turkey that this operation is a bad idea. There are no American soldiers in the area. From the first day I entered the political arena, I made it clear that I did not want to fight these endless, senseless wars—especially those that don’t benefit the United States.

Turkey has committed to protecting civilians, protecting religious minorities, including Christians, and ensuring no humanitarian crisis takes place—and we will hold them to this commitment. In addition, Turkey is now responsible for ensuring all ISIS fighters being held captive remain in prison and that ISIS does not reconstitute in any way, shape, or form. We expect Turkey to abide by all of its commitments, and we continue to monitor the situation closely.

“The United States does not endorse this attack and has made it clear to Turkey that this operation is a bad idea”. Well, I’m sure that will make our former Kurdish allies feel much better.

As far as the Kurdish appeal to Assad to protect them, I haven’t seen anything that suggests that is happening. In fact everything I read indicates that Assad hates the Kurds. But it’s only been a day so we’ll keep you updated if we hear anything else on this.


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