Lunix I Posted October 16, 2019 Posted October 16, 2019 WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump, facing bipartisan condemnation over Turkey's invasion of Syria, defended his handling of the matter on Wednesday as "strategically brilliant" and downplayed the U.S. alliance with the Kurds, whom he repeatedly described as "not angels." "It's not our problem," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, hours before Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are set to travel to Turkey to try to negotiate a ceasefire and avoid a humanitarian crisis. In remarks throughout the day,Trump dismissed mounting criticism on Capitol Hill and from other allies in the region while further questioningthe Kurds, many of whom fought alongside U.S. troops against ISIS.The House is set to vote Wednesday on a bipartisan resolution condemning Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. During an East Room press conference with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, the president welcomed reports that Russian troops had entered regions once occupied by a small number of U.S. special forces – a stance that ran counter to the views of many lawmakers who expressed concern about Russia's involvement. "Frankly, if Russia is going to help the Kurds that’s a good thing," Trump said. The president's latest remarks came days after he appeared to diminish the U.S.-Kurd alliance by saying the group is "fighting for their land" and noting thatthe Kurds had not fought with Allied powers in World War II. Trump said one group of Kurds, the Kurdistan Workers' Party was "more of a terrorist threat" than ISIS. "They're not angels," Trump said Wednesday. "Go back and take a look." The U.S. considers the Kurdistan Workers' Party – or the PKK – a terrorist organization. The U.S. allied with an offshoot of that group, the People’s Protection Units – or YPG – to fight ISIS in Syria. The alliance with YPG had raised concerns from some U.S. officials at the time.
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