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'Don't be a fool!' Donald Trump's letter 'binned' by Turkish president as Mike Pence attempts to broker ceasefire

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives US Vice President Mike Pence at the Presidential Complex in Ankara - Anadolu
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives US Vice President Mike Pence at the Presidential Complex in Ankara - Anadolu

Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to launch his invasion of northern Syria after Donald Trump sent him a letter telling him "don't be a fool," Turkish officials have said.

In a letter dated October 9, Mr Trump urged Mr Erdogan to "make a deal" and said he would respond by "destroying the Turkish economy" if the Turkish president went ahead with the military operation.

But Mr Erdogan was so angry he threw the letter in the bin and decided to answer by starting the offensive, Turkish officials said.

The disclosure came as a US delegation arrives in Turkey to try to broker a ceasefire as the situation in Syria intensified.

"The letter was written on 9 October. Erdogan rejected the offer of mediation and it was thrown into the trash. The clearest answer to this letter was the reply given at 4pm on 9 October. This is was the start of Operation Peace Spring," a senior Turkish official  told the Yeni Safak newspaper.

Donald Trump's letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - Credit: AFP
Donald Trump's letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Credit: AFP

The letter was released by the White House on Wednesday as the US president battled to control the political damage following his decision to pull US troops out of northern Syria, clearing the way for the Turkish incursion against America's Kurdish allies.

Written in a colloquial, non diplomatic language, the letter used a combination of exhortation laced with threats to persuade Mr Erdogan to reverse a decision to invade Syria that the Turkish leader told Mr Trump about in an Oct 6 phone call.

"Let's work out a good deal!" Mr Trump began. "You don't want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don't want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy - and I will."

He went on: "I have worked hard to solve some of your problems. Don't let the world down. You can make a great deal," said Mr Trump in the letter.

The president wrote that the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, General Mazloum Kobani Abdi, was willing to negotiate and to make some concessions.

He said he had confidentially enclosed a copy of a letter Gen Mazloum had sent him.

Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Ankara, facing an impossible task - Credit: Evrim Aydin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Ankara, facing an impossible task Credit: Evrim Aydin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

"History will look upon you favorably if you get this done the right and humane way. It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don't happen. Don't be a tough guy. Don't be a fool!" said Mr Trump, before signing off with:

"I will call you later."

Mr Trump had the letter released in response to accusations that he gave Turkey a "green light" to invade Syria. Many US senators have been sharply critical of his decision to remove American forces from the conflict zone, which effectively allowed the offensive to go ahead.

Mike Pompeo and Mike Pence arrived in Turkey on Thursday afternoon, facing a herculean task to pressure Turkish officials to accept a ceasefire in Northern Syria.

They touched down in Ankara a day after Mr Trump dismissed the very crisis he sent his aides on an emergency mission to douse.

Turkey launched its offensive into northern Syria on Wednesday last week in an effort to crush the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia that it says is an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist group by many Nato countries.

Smoke rises from the Syrian city of Ras al-Ain on Thursday. - Credit:  OZAN KOSE/AFP
Smoke rises from the Syrian city of Ras al-Ain on Thursday. Credit: OZAN KOSE/AFP

Mr Erdogan said on Wednesday that the offensive would only end when Kurdish forces surrendered and left a 20-mile buffer zone.

Particularly intense fighting was reported in the border town of Ras al-Ain, also known as Serikane, which Turkish forces are reported to have surrounded.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an observer, said Turkish and Turkish-backed forces made gains in the city under heavy artillery fire on Thursday morning.

The SDF said fighting continued inside the town. It also said  the only hospital there was bombed and a civilian convoy hit by shells or an airstrike on Thursday morning.

The group also accused Turkey of using using "non-conventional" weapons in the city.

"Faced with the obvious failure of his plan, Erdogan is resorting to weapons that are globally banned such as phosphorus and napalm," it said in a statement.

The claim could not be immediately verified.

Kurdish health authorities appealed to international NGOs to assist in evacuating civilians and the wounded from the town.

Kurdish authorities said 218 civilians, including 18 children, had been killed since the fighting began.