US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has lashed out at Turkey for its military assault across the border on Syrian Kurdish fighters today.
Speaking at the German Marshall Fund, Esper said Turkey's 'unwarranted' invasion into Syria jeopardises gains made there in recent years as the US-led coalition and allied Syrian Kurdish forces battled the Islamic State group.
Turkey, he said, is 'heading in the wrong direction,' and is getting
closer to Russia.
'Turkey put us all in a very terrible situation,' he said, adding that
Ankara needs to return to being the 'responsible ally' it has been in the past.
His comments come on the heels of President Donald Trump's announcement yesterday that the US is lifting sanctions on Turkey after the NATO ally agreed to permanently stop fighting Kurdish forces in Syria.