Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded President Trump “hand over” the leader of a Kurdish militia who has been invited to testify before Congress, as the crisis in war-torn Syria deepens.
“He is a terrorist with the code name Mazloum,” Erdogan told state broadcaster TRT late on Thursday, according to Bloomberg. “America needs to hand over this man to us.”
Erdogan made the demand on Turkish state television just hours after Trump praised the head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi.
“I really enjoyed my conversation with General @MazloumAbdi. He appreciates what we have done, and I appreciate what the Kurds have done,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “Perhaps it is time for the Kurds to start heading to the Oil Region!”
The SDF was a key ally in the U.S. battle against ISIS in northern Syria in recent years, but Erdogan considers them a threat because they have links to Kurdish separatists fighting for their own homeland in Turkey.
Leading Democrats and Republicans have fiercely criticized Trump’s October decision to have American troops stand aside and allow Erdogan to launch an offensive targeting the Kurds.
Despite Trump’s decision, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are trying to maintain America’s ties with the Kurds.
A bipartisan group of senators have asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to help secure a visa for Abdi to visit the U.S. and discuss the way forward in Syria.