President Donald Trump announced he would withdraw American forces from Syria, allowing Turkish forces to enter the country.
The White House revealed Trump’s decision Sunday night and the president also shared his thoughts on the issue on Twitter on Monday.
“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,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Trump said he would allow Turkey to engage in Syria, despite the American alliance with the Kurds in the region. In return, he said, Turkey would take all of the captured Islamic State terrorists.
The White House announced the deal after Trump spoke with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
“Turkey will now be responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area captured over the past two years in the wake of the defeat of the territorial “Caliphate” by the United States,” the White House said in a statement.
Trump has tried to withdraw troops from Syria since destroying the Islamic State but has faced stiff resistance.
Jim Mattis, Trump’s first Defense Secretary, resigned in December in protest of the president’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria.
Trump’s decision earned criticism from some members in the foreign policy establishment, as they believe the Kurds deserve protection from Turkey, as a result of their efforts to fight the Islamic State.
Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley criticized Trump on Twitter on Monday after his announcement.
Sen. Lindsey Graham called Trump’s decision a “disaster” and appeared on Fox News this morning to criticize the president’s move.
But Trump reemphasized his “American first” foreign policy priorities on Twitter.
“WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN,” he wrote.
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