Trump Defends Syria Retreat to Fix ‘Worst Decision Ever Made’
Trump Vows Mideast Retreat to Correct ‘Worst Decision Ever Made’
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. “should never have been” in the Middle East and it was “the worst decision ever made” amid reports that Turkey has begun its operation to force back U.S. wartime allies in Syria.
In a series of tweets defending his decision that the U.S. would stand aside and allow a Turkish incursion in an area controlled by Kurdish militants, Trump said that “fighting between various groups” has been “going on for hundreds of years,” adding: “The stupid endless wars, for us, are ending!”
Turkish troops crossed into Syria early Wednesday in an effort to force back U.S.-supported Kurdish militants from the northeastern border area, according to a Turkish official. The Turkish incursion is expected to involve tens of thousands of soldiers backed by tanks and armored personnel carriers from NATO’s second-largest army.
Trump’s stance toward Turkey has been marked by confusion since Sunday, when he told Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that dozens of American troops who’d been working with Kurdish forces against Islamic State would pull aside, effectively clearing the way for a Turkish operation.
On Monday, Trump warned Turkey he would “destroy and obliterate” its economy if it did anything he considers “off limits” in Syria. A day later he appeared to praise Turkey, touting its trading relationship and announcing a visit by Erdogan on Nov. 13.
The president’s policy tumult toward Turkey has drawn fierce criticism from allies in Congress, including Senator Lindsey Graham, who warned of “sanctions from hell” if Turkey moved into Syria.
Trump’s tweets Wednesday criticizing his predecessor’s moves on the Middle East cross familiar terrain. Trump has repeatedly leveled criticism at former President George W. Bush for the decision to invade Iraq, stoked by intelligence reports and assertions that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. In an interview with The Hill last year, Trump called Bush’s move to go into the Middle East “the worst single mistake ever made in the history of our country,” saying it topped even the Civil War.
--With assistance from Selcan Hacaoglu, Onur Ant, Alex Wayne, Josh Wingrove and Justin Sink.
To contact the reporters on this story: Caitlin Webber in Washington at cwebber4@bloomberg.net;Jennifer A. Dlouhy in Washington at jdlouhy1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kasia Klimasinska at kklimasinska@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Wasserman, Kathleen Hunter
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