Donald Trump: Did not give Erdogan 'green light' for Syria operation

United States President Donald Trump on October 16 said that he did not give Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a 'green light' to launch a military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria. US President Donald Trump had written a letter last week to Turkish President asking him to not be a 'fool', even as Turkish offensive in Syria enters its 2nd week. 

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'Didn't give Greenlight'

Trump said that President Erdogan's decision did not surprise him because Erdogan wanted to do that for a long time and that he was building up troops on the border with Syria for a long time. He said that did not give Erdogan a green light, "just the opposite of green light." 

Read: Turkey Defiant On Syria Operation As United States Demands Ceasefire

Trump writes to Erdogan 

President of the United States wrote an exceptional letter written last week to his Turkish counterpart, asking Recep Tayyip Erdogan to not be a "fool." The letter dated October 9 comes three days after a telephonic conversation between the two leaders and the same day when the Turkish incursion into north-east Syria against the Kurds began. He further ended the letter saying, "History will look upon you favorably if you get this done the right and humane way." 

Turkey, meanwhile, has remained defiant against mounting international pressure to curb its military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria, raising tensions with Washington as Vice President Mike Pence headed for Ankara on Wednesday to demand a ceasefire. Battles raged in the key Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain as dawn broke on October 16, with Kurdish fighters trying to hold off the onslaught by Turkish-backed forces, now in its second week.

(With inputs from PTI)

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