US will not allow Daesh take Syria oil fields: Trump

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed to not allow a "reconstituted" Daesh to take over oil fields in northern Syria.

"The Oil Fields discussed in my speech on Turkey/Kurds yesterday were held by ISIS until the United States took them over with the help of the Kurds. We will NEVER let a reconstituted ISIS have those fields!" said Trump on Twitter, using another name for the Daesh terror group.

On Wednesday, Trump said Washington will keep "a small number" of U.S. troops will remain in Syria "where they have the oil."

The president did not specify where the troops would be stationed, nor how many he is considering, but said "we’re going to be protecting" the oil. "And we’ll be deciding what we’re going to do with it in the future.”

In his tweet, he said he had a conversation with the YPG/PKK's so-called commander Mazloum Abdi and signaled advance of the PKK/YPG terrorists toward the oil fields without elaborating.

"I really enjoyed my conversation with General @MazloumAbdi. He appreciates what we have done, and I appreciate what the Kurds have done. Perhaps it is time for the Kurds to start heading to the Oil Region!" Trump wrote.

On Oct. 9, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.

Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, held a meeting Tuesday in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi just hours before the pause was set to expire.

Ankara and Moscow reached a deal under which PKK/YPG terrorists will pull back 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Turkey’s border with northern Syria within 150 hours and security forces from Turkey and Russia will conduct joint patrols there.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK.