President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy Turkey's economy if Turkey goes "off limits" after his surprise decision to pull US forces out of north-eastern Syria.
In
a series of angry tweets, Mr Trump defended the move that could open
the way for Turkey to launch an attack on Kurdish fighters across the
border.
The withdrawal was heavily criticised even by Mr Trump's Republican allies.
Kurdish forces were key US allies in defeating the Islamic State in Syria.
The
US has some 1,000 troops across Syria and about two dozen had been
pulled out from the border area, according to a senior state department
official.
The withdrawal was described by the main Kurdish-led
group as a "stab in the back", and critics say it could facilitate an IS
resurgence and leave Kurdish forces at risk of being attacked by
Turkey, which regards them as terrorists.
But Mr Trump warned
Turkey not to take advantage of his decision - which goes against the
advice of senior officials in the Pentagon and state department - saying
he could "destroy and obliterate" its economy.
Last year, the US raised tariffs on some Turkish products and imposed sanctions on top officials as relations between the two Nato countries worsened over a number of issues.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his aim is to combat Kurdish
fighters in the border area and set up a "safe zone" for up to two
million of the more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees currently living in
Turkey.
The country's defence ministry tweeted later that the
establishment of such a zone is "essential" for Syrians and for peace in
the region.
