US President Donald Trump calls on reporters at a press conference on September 26, 2018 in New York City. Photo: John Moore | AFP/Rudaw video
NEW YORK — During a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump fielded several questions from Kurdish journalists, while espousing the capability of Kurds against ISIS.
Rudaw's correspondent in New York, Majeed Gly, asked if the United States would continue to support Kurds in Iraq and Syria post-ISIS.
"Where from where?" said Trump before answering on Wednesday. Gly replied that he is from the Kurdistan Region: "I'm a Kurd.”
Majeed Gly, a Kurdish journalist from Kirkuk, asks US President Donald Trump about post-ISIS commitments to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and for Kurdish fighters in Syria. Photo: White House
"Good. Great people. Great people. Thank you. Are you a Kurd? Good. They are great people, they are great fighters. I like 'em a lot, let's go I like them a lot, let's go. I like this question so far," Trump added.
He answered a wide range of questions focusing domestic issues like the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court, the US economy, as well as Trump's views on Iran and China.
Trump reiterated the US stance of Kurds being "great fighters."
I'm in no way offended by @realDonaldTrump or anyone calling me Mr. Kurd. I think he called me and a colleague that today. I'm proud to be a Kurd. I actually take it as a compliment if you call me Mr. Kurd. #MrKurd
— Majeed Gly (@MajeedGly) September 26, 2018
"We have defeated ISIS essentially in a very short while ago in the Middle East. And we did it with a lot of help from the Kurds. And they are great fighters. You know some people are great fighters and some people aren't. The Kurds are great fighters and they are great people," said Trump.
The response drew attention from other journalists.
This is true. In fact, I’ve often questioned whether it would have been possible to defeat ISIS as much as we have without the Kurds. But I did ask last year—and still ask—whether America has abandoned the Kurds, some of her best allies in the Middle East. https://t.co/g3FPnKJwyd https://t.co/8ww3ciJh56
— Kelly Jane Torrance (@KJTorrance) September 27, 2018
But he did not reveal US policy post-ISIS for the Kurds who he said gave "10s of thousands" fighters in the conflict.
"And we are discussing their situation right now ... We have already started discussing that situation. But we have had tremendous support from the Kurds in defeating ISIS," Trump said.
"We are helping them a lot and we've been very friendly with them. As you know we have fought side by side," he added.
More than 1,800 Peshmerga from the Kurdistan Region died in the ISIS conflict. Some 10,000 more were injured. Leaders in Kurdistan — both in Iraq and Syria — want US support to continue to defeat ISIS ideology and not just the so-called "caliphate."
Rahim Rashidi, also a Kurdish journalist, was then permitted to ask follow-up questions regarding Washington's Iran policy.
POTUS : “Yes, please, Mr. Kurd.” @rahimrashidi 🙌🏼 https://t.co/qWm0nIsnip
— Samira Ghaderi (@Samira_Ghaderi) September 27, 2018
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