Donald Trump has threatened to “totally destroy and obliterate” the Turkish economy if the country took any action he considered “off-limits” following his decision to withdraw American forces from northeastern Syria.

Trump’s threat on Monday followed the White House announcing on Sunday that Turkey will invade Northern Syria in a campaign against the self-declared Islamic State. 

The withdrawal was swiftly condemned by US politicians over concerns that it could open the way for a Turkish strike on Kurdish-led forces long allied with Washington.

The Kurds are considered to be a terrorist organisation by the Turkish government. Withdrawing US troops, therefore, places them at even greater risk, the Kurds’ Syrian Democratic Forces warned in a statement that accused the US of abandoning its responsibilities “in the war on terror.”

“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.

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