Foreign Policy

Trump Defends His Decision To Pull U.S. Troops Out Of Syria

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump repeatedly defended his decision to withdraw American troops from Syria.

Trump Defends His Decision To Pull U.S. Troops Out Of Syria
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Article by Briana Koeneman
SMS
October 16, 2019

"It's not our border, we shouldn't be losing lives over it," President Trump said.

President Donald Trump is defending his decision to pull American troops out of Syria.

During an Oval Office meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella Wednesday, President Trump told reporters Turkey's invasion of northern Syria "has nothing to do with us." 

That's where U.S. troops were fighting alongside Kurdish forces to eradicate ISIS in the war-torn country. 

President Trump said the Kurds are "much safer now" since American troops left the region. And he added: "The Kurds know how to fight, and as I said, they're not angels."

The president doubled down on those comments during a press conference with Mattarella later in the day.

"Let them fight their own wars. They've been fighting for 1,000 years, let them fight their own wars," President Trump said.

As Newsy previously reported, the U.S. sanctioned Turkey on Monday in an effort to pressure the country to end its attack in Syria. Turkey's president says he will meet with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence later this week to discuss a cease-fire.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.