Despite the withdrawal of his troops .. Pentagon denies supporting a Turkish operation in northern Syria and Trump threatens Ankara

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States does not support the upcoming Turkish operation in northern Syria, and the US military will not support or take part in it, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. US President Donald Trump has threatened to wipe out the Turkish economy if Ankara does something that is too much.

This followed news of the start of the withdrawal of US forces from areas in northeastern Syria, in conjunction with Turkish preparations for a military operation aimed at creating a "safe area."

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement that "the Department of Defense has made clear to Turkey, as the president has done, that we do not support any Turkish operation in northern Syria. The US armed forces will not support or participate in any such operation."

The spokesman added that US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Miley, told their Turkish counterparts that a unilateral move would be dangerous for Turkey.

The Turkish and US sides agreed last August to establish a safe area in northeastern Syria on the border with Turkey. Ankara has repeatedly threatened a unilateral attack to establish the region, saying the United States has been too slow to implement the deal.

US withdrawal and safe area
Despite the initial US withdrawal, which was seen as a prelude to a Turkish operation; a senior State Department official told reporters today that Washington has made clear to the Turkish side that it does not support the planned operation in any way. "We think this is a very bad idea."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a telephone conversation with President Donald Trump late on Sunday, sought US support for the Turkish operation, but Trump refused, the US official said.

"All the time, Erdogan thought the president would eventually provide some sort of military support," he said. Asked about the Turkish plan to resettle millions of Syrian refugees in the safe area, the US official said: "This is probably the craziest thing I've heard."

Trump's Tweets
For his part, Trump said in a tweet on Twitter following his announcement of withdrawing US troops from northern Syria, “I only reiterate what I stressed before, that if Turkey does anything that I consider to be my great and incomparable wisdom, I will completely destroy the Turkish economy and erase it. I did it before) ".

The president said in previous tweets today that he was elected to get the United States out of "endless ridiculous wars," adding that during the absurd wars, the US military has the protection functions that benefit people who do not like the United States, as he put it.

He said Russia and China were the only countries that disliked the decision to withdraw US troops because they "liked seeing the United States mired in the quagmire."

Congressional leaders criticize
Trump's announcement of US troop withdrawals has drawn strong criticism from both Republican and Democratic leaders. "This decision poses a serious threat to regional security and stability and sends a dangerous message to Iran, Russia and our allies that the United States is no longer a trusted partner," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. Dangerous. "

"A hasty withdrawal of US troops from Syria will only serve the interests of Russia, Iran and the Assad regime, and will increase the risk that IS and other militant groups will rise again," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement.

On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the United States is "a non-status occupier in Syria," and called for respect for the territorial integrity of Syria. "It is pointless to seek or authorize the United States for security," he said.

UN Secretary-General's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of restraint by all parties in northern Syria at this time.

A US official said earlier in the day that US forces had withdrawn from two border observation posts at the towns of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain (northeastern Syria) and told the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that the United States would not defend them in the face of an imminent Turkish attack. . According to Reuters, the initial US withdrawal from Syria will be limited to a limited area close to the Turkish border.

According to Al Jazeera correspondent in Syria that the national army of the Syrian opposition sent military reinforcements, including fighters and heavy machinery to the border points with Turkey, in order to participate in the upcoming Turkish military operation east of the Euphrates.

The reporter, citing military sources in the Syrian National Army, said his forces massed at the Turkish border received equipment and ammunition and were waiting for the signal to start moving towards the battlefield.