A handful of top Republicans — including former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley — on Monday criticized President Trump’s decision to remove US troops from Syria as a blow to America’s Kurdish allies.

“We must always have the backs of our allies, if we expect them to have our back. The Kurds were instrumental in our successful fight against ISIS in Syria. Leaving them to die is a big mistake. #TurkeyIsNotOurFriend,” tweeted Haley.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s most loyal supporters, said he and Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland would introduce a bipartisan bill to slap tough sanctions on Turkey should the country — with the second-largest army in NATO — invade northern Syria and threaten the Kurds.

“Just spoke to Sen @ChrisVanHollen about situation in Syria. We will introduce bipartisan sanctions against Turkey if they invade Syria and will call for their suspension from NATO if they attack Kurdish forces who assisted the US in the destruction of the ISIS Caliphate,” the South Carolina Republican wrote in one of a series of critical tweets.

“This decision to abandon our Kurdish allies and turn Syria over to Russia, Iran, & Turkey will put every radical Islamist on steroids. Shot in the arm to the bad guys. Devastating for the good guys,” he added.

Graham also warned that the move would embolden US rivals worldwide.

“By abandoning the Kurds we have sent the most dangerous signal possible – America is an unreliable ally and it’s just a matter of time before China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea act out in dangerous ways,” he wrote.

And he warned that ISIS would re-form without the US backing the Kurds.

“I feel very bad for the Americans and allies who have sacrificed to destroy the ISIS Caliphate because this decision virtually reassures the reemergence of ISIS. So sad. So dangerous. President Trump may be tired of fighting radical Islam. They are NOT tired of fighting us,” he continued.

The decision, he added, “Ensures ISIS comeback. Forces Kurds to align with Assad and Iran. Destroys Turkey’s relationship with US Congress.

“Will be a stain on America’s honor for abandoning the Kurds.”

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney also weighed in on Twitter.

“The President’s decision to abandon our Kurd allies in the face of an assault by Turkey is a betrayal. It says that America is an unreliable ally, it facilitates ISIS resurgence, and it presages another humanitarian disaster,” Romney wrote.

And Florida Sen. Marco Rubio accused the commander-in-chief of abandoning Kurdish allies.

“We degraded ISIS using Kurd’s as the ground force. Now we have abandoned them & they face annihilation at the hands of the Turkish military. ISIS could now be reinvigorated when 1000’s of jailed fighters break out when the Kurdish guards are forced to leave to go fight Turkey,” he wrote on Twitter.

The US began pulling troops back from the northeast Syria border on Monday, opening the way for a Turkish strike on Kurdish-led forces long allied with Washington, in a move Trump hailed as a bid to quit “endless wars.”

The major policy shift, which hands Turkey responsibility for thousands of jihadist prisoners, was denounced as a “stab in the back” by the Kurdish-led forces, who have been Washington’s most capable partner in fighting the Islamic State in Syria.

“US forces on the ground showed us that this is not how they value friendship & alliance. However, the decision by the @POTUS is about to ruin the trust and cooperation between the SDF and US built during the fight against ISIS. Alliances are built on mutual trust,” tweeted Mustafa Bali, a top Kurdish official.

Trump defended the move in a series of tweets, saying it was past time that the US withdrew from the “endless war.”

With AP