Turkish Value Will Hold The Key In Syria, Trump: Erdogan Is Very Close To Me

JAKARTA - Turkey will hold the key in Syria after the collapse of the government of President Bashar al-Assad by rebels backed by Ankara, said US President-elect Donald Trump, praising the country's leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Syrian insurgent groups have launched attacks on various regions of the country since late November, with the peak of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led group taking control of the capital Damascus and the fall of President Assad, ending five decades of his family's rule.

In his first statement on how he views Turkey's post-conflict role, Trump praised what he described as Turkey's "major military force" which he said was "not tired of war."

By supporting the rebels, "Turkey carried out an unfriendly takeover without many lives," Trump told a news conference at his residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

"Currently, Syria has a lot, you know, there is a lot of uncertainty. I think Turkey will hold the key to Syria," Trump said.

Turkey, which controls large parts of northern Syria after several cross-border attacks on Syrian Kurdish YPG militias, is a major supporter of opposition groups aimed at overthrowing President Assad, backed by Iran and Russia, since the outbreak of civil war in 2011.

Since Assad was ousted, Washington and Ankara have held talks to counter the rise of ISIS militants in Syria. Washington has placed about 900 troops in eastern Syria as a defense against militants.

When asked what he would do with the force, Trump did not explain in detail, instead pointing to the Turkish military force and highlighting his relationship with President Erdogan.

"Erdogan is someone who is very close to me. He has built a very strong and tough force," praised the Republican politician.

"They wanted it for thousands of years, and he got it, and the people who entered there were controlled by Turkey, and that was not a problem," Trump added, alluding to Turkey's past under Ottoman rule, which includes control of modern Syria.