PodcastTrump confuses Kurds of Syria and Iraq in a meeting with Barzani
U.S. President Donald Trump confused the Kurds of Syria and Iraq in a meeting with Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraqi Kurdistan, on Jan. 22. “As you know, we left Syria from the standpoint of the border. And that’s worked out great with Turkey. They have the so-called safe zone and I appreciate everything you’ve done to keep it as safe as possible," Trump told Barzani.
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U.S. President Donald Trump confused the Kurds of Syria and Iraq in a meeting with Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraqi Kurdistan, on Jan. 22 on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
During their encounter, Trump focused on praising the Kurds of Syria.
“As you know, we left Syria from the standpoint of the border,” said Trump, seated beside Barzani.
“And that’s worked out great with Turkey. It’s worked out far better than anyone thought possible. They have the so-called safe zone and I appreciate everything you’ve done to keep it as safe as possible," Trump said, The Washington Post reported.
Trump thinks all Kurds are Mr Kurd.
— Hassan Hassan (@hxhassan) January 22, 2020
Here he speaks at length about Syria to Iraq’s Kurdish region president as though it was Mazloum Abdo of the Syrian YPG.
‘Thank you for keeping the zone safe.’
And to add insult to injury: “We’re keeping the oil’ pic.twitter.com/06vbWF4J7O
Barzani’s Iraqi Kurdish regional government has not been involved in plans for a safe zone along the Syria-Turkey border in areas claimed by the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
Trump’s also appeared to refer to his decision to pull U.S. troops from northeastern Syria in October, a move that paved the way for a Turkish offensive in the area against the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who were key U.S. partners in the fight against ISIS.
The White House mentions Iran instead of Iraq on the YouTube channel. Via @Joyce_Karam, @leloveluck)
— Hassan Hassan (@hxhassan) January 22, 2020
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Barzani: “he thought I was a Syrian Kurdish leader.”
Saleh: “they thought I was the president of Iran.” pic.twitter.com/yYGlaWtgUi
In his brief remarks, Trump thanked the Kurds for holding thousands of ISIS prisoners and fighting in the coalition that ousted the extremist group from its strongholds in Iraq and Syria. While Kurds in both countries were instrumental in those efforts, Syria’s Kurds have borne the brunt of securing tens of thousands of captured alleged fighters and their families.
Earlier Jan. 22, the White House’s official YouTube channel initially listed Trump as having met with the president of Iran at Davos, when in fact it was Iraqi President Barham Salih. The caption has since been corrected.