Trump justifies abandoning Kurds, saying 'they didn’t help us" in WW2

President Trump has justified his actions of the withdrawal of the US troops from Syria by stating that Kurds did not support and fight for the country in the second world war. The move has enabled a Turkish offensive against US-backed Kurdish fighters in the region. 

'Fighting for their own land and purpose': Trump

According to reports, after signing of executive orders on the federal regulation at the White House, Trump released the statement, on Wednesday. The statement said that the Kurds didn’t help United States in the second World War, and used Normandy as an example.

Read: Turkish Operation Against Syrian Kurds Has Begun: President Erdogan

He also added that the United States have spent an enormous amount of money helping the Kurds over the years, but the fact that though they are fighting with U.S. But still fighting for their own land, bothers him. Trump reffered to a a “very, very powerful article”, published by conservative opinion writer Kurt Schlichter, on how the Kurds did not help the US in Normandy, supporting his action.

For over five consecutive years, the United States military has been backing Kurds against the Islamic State, losing more than 11,000 Kurdish fighters. He also added that If one looks at how much money US has spent on NATO and how European countries were a bigger beneficiary of the results than the US.

Read: Kurds Mobilize In Syria As Turkey Poised For Imminent Attack

Critics argue on country's commitments to its allies

On Wednesday, Turkey launched an offensive into north-eastern Syria against the US-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF), a Kurdish force that controls the region, as the US troops backed off.  The Turkish offensive came just days after the call betwwen President Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after which Trump tweeted that US troops would withdraw from the region.

Read: Donald Trump: 'We Are Not Abandoning Kurds, Helping Them Financially'

Trumps decision in Syria has brought bipartisan condemnation. While some people support his decision, the critis argue that Trumps decision has cast a doubtful image of the country's commitments to its allies. They've also said that it could enable an ISIS resurgence and raises fears that some of the thousand ISIS fighters captivated by the Kurdish forces might escape. 

Read: EU's Donald Tusk Accuses Boris Johnson Of 'blame Game' In Brexit Deal

(with inputs from agencies)