President Trump on Wednesday sought to distance himself from a Turkish military operation against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, days after he drew bipartisan backlash for announcing U.S. troops would vacate the area.
“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,” Trump said in a statement issued by the White House.
The president clarified that there are no American soldiers in the area where the Turkish incursion is taking place, and defended his efforts to pull U.S. forces out of the region, even as his strategy has faced relentless criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike.
View the complete October 9 article by Brett Samuels on The Hill website here.