Not abandoning the Kurds, says Trump

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that his administration is not abandoning the Kurds in Syria, saying the US is helping them financially and with weapons after a bipartisan backlash over his decision to withdraw US troops from northeastern part of the country.

Trump made an abrupt decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the border between Turkey and Syria, a move that clears the way for Turkey to launch a long-threatened assault on Kurds who it views as terrorists but whom US military planners and other western nations view as partners in fighting the Islamic State. The decision brought condemnation from Democrats and Republicans.

"We may be in the process of leaving Syria, but in no way have we abandoned the Kurds, who are special people and wonderful fighters," Trump said in a tweet, a day after he was being slammed by his opponents and allies including Indian-American Nikki Haley, his former envoy to the UN.

"Likewise our relationship with Turkey, a NATO and trading partner, ...