01:45President of the United States Donald Trump stated that the US "never agreed" to defend the Kurds, speaking during a Cabinet meeting in Washington DC on Monday.
"We have a good relationship with the Kurds. But we never agreed to, you know, protect the Kurds. We fought with them for three and a half to four years. We never agreed to protect the Kurds for the rest of their lives," the president said.
Trump also added that "it's not going to be necessary" to maintain the presence of US troops in Syria apart from a small delegation to secure oil reserves.
"They [Kurdish forces] were fighting ISIS. You know, they hated ISIS, so they were fighting ISIS. But we never agreed. Where's an agreement that said we have to stay in the Middle East for the rest of humanity, for the rest of civilization, to protect the Kurds? They never said that," he stressed again.
The US president said that the ceasefire between the Kurdish forces and the Turkish military is "holding" and that Kurds are travelling to "safer areas beyond the safe zone."
Turkey's military offensive, dubbed 'Operation Peace Spring,' began on October 9, days after the White House announced the withdrawal of US troops from the area. Ankara says the offensive aims to establish a 'safe zone' in northeastern Syria.
USA: 'We never agreed to protect the Kurds' – Trump
President of the United States Donald Trump stated that the US "never agreed" to defend the Kurds, speaking during a Cabinet meeting in Washington DC on Monday.
"We have a good relationship with the Kurds. But we never agreed to, you know, protect the Kurds. We fought with them for three and a half to four years. We never agreed to protect the Kurds for the rest of their lives," the president said.
Trump also added that "it's not going to be necessary" to maintain the presence of US troops in Syria apart from a small delegation to secure oil reserves.
"They [Kurdish forces] were fighting ISIS. You know, they hated ISIS, so they were fighting ISIS. But we never agreed. Where's an agreement that said we have to stay in the Middle East for the rest of humanity, for the rest of civilization, to protect the Kurds? They never said that," he stressed again.
The US president said that the ceasefire between the Kurdish forces and the Turkish military is "holding" and that Kurds are travelling to "safer areas beyond the safe zone."
Turkey's military offensive, dubbed 'Operation Peace Spring,' began on October 9, days after the White House announced the withdrawal of US troops from the area. Ankara says the offensive aims to establish a 'safe zone' in northeastern Syria.
President of the United States Donald Trump stated that the US "never agreed" to defend the Kurds, speaking during a Cabinet meeting in Washington DC on Monday.
"We have a good relationship with the Kurds. But we never agreed to, you know, protect the Kurds. We fought with them for three and a half to four years. We never agreed to protect the Kurds for the rest of their lives," the president said.
Trump also added that "it's not going to be necessary" to maintain the presence of US troops in Syria apart from a small delegation to secure oil reserves.
"They [Kurdish forces] were fighting ISIS. You know, they hated ISIS, so they were fighting ISIS. But we never agreed. Where's an agreement that said we have to stay in the Middle East for the rest of humanity, for the rest of civilization, to protect the Kurds? They never said that," he stressed again.
The US president said that the ceasefire between the Kurdish forces and the Turkish military is "holding" and that Kurds are travelling to "safer areas beyond the safe zone."
Turkey's military offensive, dubbed 'Operation Peace Spring,' began on October 9, days after the White House announced the withdrawal of US troops from the area. Ankara says the offensive aims to establish a 'safe zone' in northeastern Syria.