‘Time to get out of these ridiculous endless wars’: Trump orders US pullback from Syrian border before Turkish operation begins

It’s time for the US to “get out of ridiculous endless wars,” President Donald Trump said ahead of a withdrawal of US troops from border areas in northeastern Syrian as the Turkish military prepares for an anti-Kurdish incursion.

“The United States was supposed to be in Syria for 30 days, that was many years ago. We stayed and got deeper and deeper into battle with no aim in sight,” Trump said in a Twitter thread on Monday just as US troops stationed in northeastern Syria were reportedly pulling back from their positions.

Trump claimed credit for “quickly” defeating the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Syria before explaining why he apparently chose to abandon Kurdish militias, who fought that battle with US air and artillery support, in their stand-off with Turkey.

“The Kurds fought with us, but were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so. They have been fighting Turkey for decades. I held off this fight for almost 3 years, but it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home,” he said.

“Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to figure the situation out, and what they want to do with the captured ISIS fighters in their ‘neighborhood.’ They all hate ISIS, have been enemies for years. We are 7000 miles away and will crush ISIS again if they come anywhere near us!” the US president added.

Trump also complained about US’ failure to take responsibility for trying and jailing its citizens who went to Syria to join IS and were later captured by the Kurds. The US will not be a “sucker” to Europe on any issue, Trump declared.

The US president’s apparent washing of hands comes as Turkey prepares for an invasion into Syria targeting Kurdish militias, whom Ankara considers a terrorist force allied with a Kurdish insurgency on Turkey’s own territory. Turkey wants to establish a “safety zone” along the border between the two countries, arguing that as a side benefit it will allow Syrian refugees, currently residing in Turkey, to return to their country.

The Syrian Kurds earlier said Washington failed to deliver on its commitment to protect them from the Turkish onslaught.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!