Trump wants US troops out of Syria, says Robert F Kennedy Jr

By Rabia Iclal Turan

ANKARA (AA) – US President-elect Donald Trump wants to pull American troops out of northern Syria instead of leaving them as “cannon fodder” if fighting breaks out between other parties, said his political ally Rober F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy, who endorsed the Republican candidate in Tuesday’s presidential election, said that Trump recently expressed concern to him about the US military presence in Syria.

In an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, Kennedy discussed the role of US presidents in critical decision-making processes and shared details of a recent conversation he had with Trump.

"When I was with President Trump, we were talking about the Middle East, and he took a piece of paper and drew on it a map of the Middle East with all the nations on it, which most Americans can't do. Then he wrote in each country the troop strength,” he said.

Kennedy described Trump’s particular focus on the border between Syria and Türkiye.

"He said we have 500 men on the border of Syria and Türkiye, and a little encampment that was bombed. He said there's 750,000 troops in Türkiye. There's 250,000 militants in Syria. If they go up against each other, we're in the middle."

According to Kennedy, Trump later asked his generals what would happen if a conflict broke out, to which they reportedly replied, "They're going to be cannon fodder."

Trump’s response was decisive: "Get them out."