President says he learned Kurds didn’t help from a ‘powerful article’ as Turkey launches offensive into north-eastern Syria

This article is more than 11 months old

This article is more than 11 months old

Donald Trump defended his decision to withdraw US troops from Syria and enable a Turkish offensive against US-backed Kurdish fighters in the region by noting the Kurds didn’t fight alongside the US in the second world war.

Turkish troops advance into Syria as Trump washes his hands of the Kurds Read more

The US president told reporters that the Kurds “didn’t help us in the second world war, they didn’t help us with Normandy as an example – they mention the names of different battles, they weren’t there”, in a staggering comment following the signing of executive orders on federal regulation at the White House on Wednesday.

“We have spent a tremendous amount of money helping the Kurds,” the president said. “They’re fighting for their land. When you say they’re fighting with the US, yes. But they’re fighting for their land.”

Kurdish forces fought alongside the US against the Islamic State for nearly five years, losing roughly 11,000 fighters.

Trump said he learned that the Kurds didn’t help in Normandy from a “very, very powerful article”, apparently referencing a column by the conservative opinion writer Kurt Schlichter.

“Alliances are very easy. But our alliances have taken advantage of us,” Trump also told reporters. Misrepresenting how Nato works, he added: “If you look at how much money we spend on Nato and how much countries from Europe who are a much bigger beneficiary than we are.”

Play Video 0:35 Explosions hit Syrian town of Ras al-Ayn on Turkish border – video

Turkey on Wednesday launched an offensive into north-eastern Syria, targeting the US-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF), a Kurdish force that controls the region. The Turkish offensive came just days after a call between Trump and Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, after which Trump tweeted that US troops would withdraw from the region.

Trump’s decision to abandon the Kurdish groups who have fought alongside the US in Syria has drawn bipartisan condemnation. Critics argue the move casts doubt about the US’s commitments to its allies, could enable an Isis resurgence and raises fears that some of the thousand Isis fighters in Kurdish detention may escape.

At the White House, Trump told reporters that some of the “most dangerous” Isis prisoners had been moved, but he did not say how many or where they had been taken.

“We’re putting them in different locations where it’s secure,” he said.