'Don't be a fool': Donald Trump writes to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warns him not to be 'tough' on day of Ankara's incursion in Syria

In language shorn of diplomatic niceties, Trump said, ‘History will look upon you favorably if you get this done the right and humane way," adding “It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen.’ US president Donald Trump, in his penchant for unvarnished words, sent a letter to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warning him from being a “tough guy” and issuing an outright threat to strike a “good deal” with the Kurds, who had been the American military’s strongest ally in its fight against the IS. “Let’s work out a good deal!” Trump wrote in the letter dated 9 October, the day Turkey launched its incursion into northeastern Syria and three days since Trump ordered a pullback of US troops. In language shorn of diplomatic niceties, Trump said, “History will look upon you favorably if you get this done the right and humane way,” adding “It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen.” The US leader told Erdogan a “great deal” was possible if he negotiated with the head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, whom Turkey has labelled a “terrorist” for his ties to the Kurdish PKK militants in Turkey. It sounds all the world like the president of the United States, in some sort of momentary lapse, just dictated angrily whatever was on the top of his head.” Quigley, a member of the House intelligence committee, continued: “For him to write this and to also say that it doesn’t affect us is ignorance at the highest level.” With inputs from AFP ALSO READ: ‘Can’t keep track of Donald Trump’s tweets’: Recep Tayyip Erdogan mocks US president’s remarks on Turkish operations against Syrian Kurdish militants