Trump contradicts aides and says troops in Syria ‘only for oil’ – The Guardian

Donald Trump has insisted that the US military presence in Syria is only for the oil, contradicting his own officials who have insisted that the remaining forces were there to fight Isis.

Trump made his remarks while hosting Recep Tayyip Erdoan, just over a month after the Turkish president launched an offensive into north-eastern Syria, which has been formally condemned as destabilising by state department officials.

Sitting alongside Erdoan, Trump contradicted his own officials and the Republican leadership on a range of issues, most importantly on the US military mission in Syria. In a later press conference, the Trump declared himself a big fan of Erdoan, and made no criticism of the Turkish incursion.

Erdoan, however, criticised Trump for inviting a Kurdish leader he condemned as a terrorist to the White House. Erdoan also noted he had returned a letter which Trump had sent to him on 9 October, urging his US counterpart to hold back his Syrian invasion plan.

Dont be a tough guy. Dont be a fool! Trump had said in the letter, which Erdoan had said showed a lack of respect.

Asked about the letter on Wednesday, Erdoan through a translator said: We gave back the letter that we have received.

Following Trumps earlier insistence that his administration was solely interested in keeping Syrian oil, the US military deployed mechanised military units to oil fields in the east of the country.

However, seizing or benefiting from oil on a foreign territory, without permission from the sovereign authority, would be a violation of international law. Several US officials had sought to interpret the presidents remarks as meaning the US was denying Isis access to the oil.

Our mission is the enduring defeat of Isis, the defence secretary, Mark Esper, told reporters on Wednesday, adding: Were going to have about 500 to 600-ish troops there, at the end of the day.

A way that we ensure the enduring defeat of Isis is deny them access to the oilfields because if they have access to the oil fields, they can generate revenue. If they can generate revenue, then they can pay fighters, they can buy arms, they can conduct operations, Esper said.

On the same day however, Trump repeated his intention that the US should take possession of the oil in the region.

Were keeping the oil. We have the oil. The oil is secure. We left troops behind only for the oil, Trump said.

At a joint press conference with Erdogan, the US president said the ceasefire in north-east Syria while complicated, is moving forward and moving forward at a very rapid clip.

Erdoan praised Trump, describing him as a dear friend, but went on to denounce the US partnership with Syrian Kurdish forces.

Both parties in Congress have condemned the Turkish incursion and threatened sanctions unless it is reversed. US officials have describe it as unwelcome and destabilising. In the run-up to Erdoans controversial visit to Washington, senior officials expressed concern about reported war crimes committed by Turkish-backed Arab militias spearheading the offensive. One senior official told reporters that the US held Ankara responsible.

However, sitting alongside Erdoan, Trump said: I want to thank the president for the job theyve done.

The president and I have been very good friends, weve been friends for a long time almost from day one, Trump said. I understand the problems that theyve had, including many people from Turkey being killed, in the area that were talking about.

It is unclear what the president meant. Turks have not been killed in significant numbers in north-eastern Syria, nor is there evidence of attacks on Turkey being launched from the area.

There are strong links between the Kurdish Peoples Protection units (YPG), the main force in the SDF, and the insurgent Kurdistan Workers party (PKK), which has carried out attacks inside Turkey.

In blunt remarks in the White House on Wednesday, Erdoan criticised Trump for inviting the SDF leader Mazloum Kobani, (to whom he referred by his birth name, Ferhat Abdi ahin) to the White House. Noting his PKK links, Erdoan blamed Mazloum for hundreds of civilian deaths and said: A person like this should not be welcomed by a country such as the United States.

It is not the administrations official position that PKK attacks justify the incursion into Syria. Officials including Jeffrey have criticised Turkey for abandoning a joint security mechanism agreed with the US, and invading the safe zone along the border that mechanism was intended to safeguard.

Challenged by a Turkish reporter about US links with the YPG despite its ties to the PKK, Trump said that the US had a great relationship with the Kurds, adding: A lot of that is definition whats your definition of the various groups within the Kurds. You have various groups and some like them and some dont.

But he shrugged off the broader concerns voiced by administration officials and Republican leaders about the Turkish invasion.

Its time for us not to be worried about other peoples borders. I want to worry about our borders, the president said.

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Trump contradicts aides and says troops in Syria 'only for oil' - The Guardian