Donald Trump says Turkey was behind Islamist teams that toppled Assad in Syria

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Donald Trump mentioned Monday he believes Turkey was behind the insurgent group that toppled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, saying Ankara staged a “hostile takeover” of its neighbor.

Turkey’President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was “a wise and really robust man,” the US president-elect mentioned at a information convention in Florida, and made Ankara an important international participant in Syria because the fall of ‘Assad.

“They needed it for hundreds of years, and he obtained it. These individuals who entered are managed by Turkey. » Asset mentioned. “Turkey carried out a hostile takeover with out dropping many lives. »

The president-elect’s feedback come as the USA carries out airstrikes towards ISIS fighters in Syria, and simply days after Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned Washington was involved with Hayat Tahrir al -Sham, the Islamist group that carried out a lightning assault on Damascus. earlier this month, forcing Assad to flee the nation.

International coverage analysts mentioned Trump – who will change Joe Biden as US president subsequent month – was sending a message to Erdoğan, with whom he has a rocky relationship.

“Trump has issued a kind of warning to Syria’s new leaders and their bosses, which is ‘govern with warning, as a result of we’re watching,'” mentioned Jonathan Schanzer, government director of the Basis for Protection of Democracies.

Turkey’s relationship with HTS has been advanced. He didn’t straight assist the group, however supported others who coordinated with HTS in its blitzkrieg.

“I believe Turkey goes to carry the important thing to Syria,” Trump mentioned.

Trump’s feedback about Erdoğan mirror the US president-elect’s tendency to maintain world leaders on their toes, a international coverage skilled mentioned.

Erdoğan might need thought Trump can be an “ace within the gap,” mentioned Jon Alterman of the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research assume tank. However the Turkish chief is claimed to be “uncertain of precisely the place he stands” following Trump’s feedback, which might give leverage to the brand new American chief.

Trump and Erdoğan have merged private camaraderie and geopolitical friction throughout the US chief’s first time period as president. Tensions escalated following Turkey’s buy of the S-400 missile protection system from Russia, which resulted in Turkey’s exclusion from the US F-35 fighter jet program. Ankara’s detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson in 2016 prompted Trump to blacklist Erdoğan’s advisers and threaten punitive financial sanctions.

Brunson’s launch thawed relations between the leaders. Turkey then took benefit of Trump’s 2019 determination to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria, thereby exposing Kurdish forces to Turkish navy motion.

Relations between Washington and Ankara have improved extra just lately, in response to Turkish officers and Western diplomats, regardless of some tension triggered by Erdoğan’s criticism of The occupying Zionist entity over its Gaza offensive.

Turkey additionally lastly backed Sweden’s NATO membership earlier this yr, after which Washington accepted Ankara’s buy of US F-16 fighter jets. U.S. officers additionally praised Turkey’s function on this yr’s U.S.-Russia prisoner trade and in Ankara’s combat towards terrorist teams, together with ISIS.

Turkey, nevertheless, has strongly opposed Washington’s assist for the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group that Ankara views as indistinguishable from separatists who’ve fought the Turkish state.

Washington views the SDF as a vital companion in stopping ISIS from considerably reconstituting itself in Syria within the political vacuum that adopted Assad’s fall.

The US has carried out airstrikes in Syria towards ISIS, together with on Monday when U.S. Central Command mentioned the strikes killed 12 fighters working in areas managed by the previous regime and Russia.

Extra reporting by Andrew England in London and Adam Samson in New York