Trump Suggests Kurds Relocate as US Considers Deploying Armored Vehicles to Protect Oil Fields

President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that the US military would continue securing oil fields in Syria while also suggesting that America's onetime allies in the fight against ISIS, the Syrian Kurds, consider moving to the region that houses those oil fields, a move that would see them relocate from their traditional homelands to a desert area hundreds of miles away.

Trump's tweet came after two defense officials told CNN that the Pentagon is considering plans to deploy tanks to Syria for the first time. Other officials said it is possible that lighter-weight armored vehicles such as Bradley or Stryker fighting vehicles could be sent because tanks could require an extensive number of troops to operate.

"I really enjoyed my conversation with General [MazloumAbdi]," Trump wrote, referring to the Kurdish leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which today accused Turkey of violating a ceasefire that had been negotiated by the Trump administration.

"He appreciates what we have done, and I appreciate what the Kurds have done. Perhaps it is time for the Kurds to start heading to the Oil Region!" the President added.

Trump has faced sustained blowback over his decision earlier this month to withdraw US troops from northeastern Syria. Critics say that move gave Turkey a green light to invade Syria and attack the Kurds. Turkey views the Kurds in Syria as terrorists.