Erdogan Pledged to Eradicate 'Whatever Left' of Daesh in Syria, Trump Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - On Wednesday, Trump declared Daesh defeat in Syria and subsequent withdrawal of US troops from the Arab country, where they had been staying solely to counter the Daesh. On Saturday, he added that "local countries, including Turkey" should be able to "easily take care of whatever remains."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to wipe out the remaining forces of the Daesh* from Syria, US President Donald Trump said on Monday.

President @RT_Erdogan of Turkey has very strongly informed me that he will eradicate whatever is left of ISIS in Syria….and he is a man who can do it plus, Turkey is right “next door.” Our troops are coming home!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2018

​READ MORE: US-Led Coalition: Only Daesh Fighters Targeted in Recent Deir Ez-Zor Strike

Late on Sunday, Trump said that he had held a "long and productive" phone conversation with Erdogan, during which they discussed their "mutual involvement" in Syria and the planned withdrawal of the US troops from Syria. According to Erdogan, the two officials pledged to "expand coordination" on Syria.

The United States and a number of its allies launched their campaign against Daesh in Syria in 2014, in what was approved neither by the UN nor Damascus.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia