This photo combo created last year shows U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. President Trump said Monday that he will "obliterate" Turkey's economy if Ankara does anything that in his "great and unmatched wisdom" he considers to be "off limits" in Syria. | AFP-JIJI

Business

Trump threatens to 'obliterate' Turkey's economy if it takes 'off-limits' actions in Syria

Reuters

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to “totally destroy and obliterate” the Turkish economy if Turkey took any action he considered “off-limits” following his decision to withdraw American forces from northeastern Syria.

The withdrawal, announced by the White House late Sunday, was swiftly condemned by a bipartisan group of lawmakers over concerns that it could open the way for a Turkish strike on Kurdish-led forces long allied with Washington.

“As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve done before!)” Trump tweeted.