US President Donald Trump said Monday he was not “siding with anybody” on Syria after his decision to pull back troops.
“WE’RE OKAY”
“I am not siding with anybody. We’ve been in Syria for many years. Syria was supposed to be a short-term hit. We were supposed to be in and out,” Trump said during a press conference at the White House, adding he has “a good relationship” with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
In his remarks, the US president said there were just 50 troops in the area where Ankara was planning to carry out the operation and did not want them to get hurt.
“I think there is a lot of pressure on Turkey. They have been fighting with the PKK for many years,” said Trump, adding the former Obama administration started the dispute and “natural war” between Turkey and the PKK, citing reports.