Erdogan says Trump responded 'positively' to Turkey’s threats on Syria
According to Ankara, the US president expressed support both for its stance against US-allied Kurdish militants in Syria and its efforts to extradite Fethullah Gulen as its chief suspect in the 2016 Turkish coup attempt.
ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he received a “positive response” from US President Donald Trump when he informed him that he will launch a new military offensive against a US-backed Kurdish militia if it remains in parts of northeast Syria despite a warning from the Pentagon that such an incursion would jeopardize the fight against the Islamic State.
It was the second assurance that top Turkish officials attributed to Trump in as many days as they seek concessions from the United States over a raft of disputes ranging from the conflict in Syria to the extradition of Turkish coup suspects and a standoff with Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
