Donald Trump threatens to ‘totally destroy and obliterate’ Turkey’s economy over Syria assault
- Trump’s extraordinary Twitter warning against Nato ally Turkey came just after the White House announced a US military drawdown in Turkish-Syrian border areas
- That decision appeared to give Turkey a green light to attack its long-time Kurdish foes who have been fighting alongside US forces against Isis
US Donald Trump appeared to back-pedal after giving Turkey a green light to attack US-allied Kurdish forces in northern Syria, warning Ankara in a tweet that he would “totally destroy and obliterate” the country’s economy if it takes unspecified “off limits” actions.
“If Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve done before!),” he wrote on Twitter.
The president drew fierce criticism Monday from congressional allies for a White House statement the previous night that the US wouldn’t stand in the way of a Turkish incursion into Syria.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is normally a close Trump ally, said he would introduce bipartisan legislation to sanction Turkey if it invades Syria and suspend it from Nato if it attacks the Kurdish-led forces. He said Trump’s stance risks a comeback by Islamic State.
“Isis is not defeated, my friend. The biggest lie being told by the administration is that Isis is defeated,” Graham told Fox and Friends in a phone call on Monday. “The caliphate is destroyed, but there’s thousands of fighters [still there].”