Trump pushes tough-on-terror message as outrage grows over Syria
The White House on Thursday confirmed for the first time the 2017 killing of a senior al-Qaida bomb maker, as President Donald Trump pushes a tough-on-terrorism image in light of bipartisan backlash over his abrupt decision to pull U.S. troops from northeastern Syria.
In a statement uncharacteristically released through the White House press office rather than his Twitter feed, Trump said a 2017 strike in Yemen had killed Ibrahim al-Asiri.
Rumors of al-Asiri’s death had been circulating for at least a year, but they had not been confirmed by the U.S. Al-Asiri is credited with building the devices used in a failed Christmas Day 2009 underwear bomb attack, a disrupted printer cartridge bomb plot in 2010, and the attempted assassination of the former crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Trump said.
“Al-Asiri's death significantly handicapped al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula,” Trump said in the statement, adding that “the United States will continue to hunt down terrorists like al-Asiri until they no longer pose a threat to our great Nation.”
The confirmation of al-Asiri’s death was among a handful of announcements from the White House as Trump grapples with outrage from both sides of the political aisle over his sudden Syria shift, which paved the way for a Turkish incursion to take move into territory from U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters.
The announcement outraged Trump allies and detractors alike, and lawmakers have vowed to pass legislation to hit Turkey with sanctions over the push. Critics of the move say Trump capitulated to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and abandoned Kurdish allies in the region who have been key partners in the fight against Islamic State militants but are enemies of the Turks.
Early Thursday morning, Trump announced via Twitter that the U.S. had taken custody of two high-profile ISIS detainees being held in the region “in case the Kurds or Turkey lose control.”
Trump said the U.S. removed the pair, known for brutal beheadings in Syria and sometimes referred to as “The Beatles,” from the country and took them to a secure location. “They are the worst of the worst!” he added.
Trump has also sought to placate fears that Turkey would decimate the Kurds in northern Syria, issuing a number of public warnings to Turkey as the incursion began, appearing to endorse the idea of potentially sanctioning the country and announcing he remains in communication “with both sides.” He'd previously threatened to "totally destroy and obliterate" the Turkish economy if Turkish troops did anything he deemed "off limits."
“Turkey has been planning to attack the Kurds for a long time,” he acknowledged in a tweet on Thursday, again contending that withdrawing U.S. troops allowed him to fulfill his campaign promise of wrapping up “endless wars.”
“Some want us to send tens of thousands of soldiers to the area and start a new war all over again,” he continued. “Turkey is a member of NATO. Others say STAY OUT, let the Kurds fight their own battles (even with our financial help). I say hit Turkey very hard financially & with sanctions if they don’t play by the rules! I am watching closely.”
