Donald Trump is facing a backlash over his decision to step aside for a Turkish military operation in the region.

The US president has been warned he risks opening the door to an Islamic State revival after promising to withdraw US troops from northern Syria in a phone call with Turkey’s president Erdogan.

Mr Trump has also been accused of abandoning Kurdish fighters who fought alongside US forces in the years-long battle to defeat Islamic State militants, with Turkey considering them to be a terrorist threat.

Mr Trump has said it is “time now for others in the region” to safely manage the territory, but the minister of the French armed forces is fearful of the potential consequences.

France has been a key military ally for the US in the fight against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and Florence Parly has said the planned withdrawal of American troops is potentially dangerous.

The minister for the armed forces said: “We are going to be extremely careful that this announced disengagement from the United States and a possible offensive by Turkey does not create a dangerous manoeuvre that diverts from the goal we all pursue.

“We must be vigilant that a manoeuvre of this kind can not, contrary to the goal of the coalition, strengthen Islamic State rather than weaken it and eradicate it.”

French officials have previously said a US withdrawal would force them to follow suit, but President Emmanuel Macron was hopeful he had convinced Mr Trump to stay put during a meeting earlier this year.

Paris is especially sensitive to Islamic State following several deadly attacks in recent years, and officials believe the group remain a credible threat.

Hundreds of French nationals joined Islamic State in Syria and are now being held in Kurdish-controlled camps, where security could be compromised if a Turkish attack is forthcoming.

It is understood that US forces in northern Syria informed their Kurdish allies on Monday morning that they will not defend them from Turkish attacks.

Turkey considers the fighters to be a terrorist insurgency aligned to separatist Kurds inside Turkey.

Responding to the concerns raised over his decision, Mr Trump insisted he will use his “great and unmatched wisdom” to ensure Turkey does nothing “off limits”.

He tweeted: “As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve done before!).

“They must, with Europe and others, watch over the captured ISIS fighters and families. The US has done far more than anyone could have ever expected, including the capture of 100% of the ISIS Caliphate. It is time now for others in the region, some of great wealth, to protect their own territory. THE USA IS GREAT!”

Mr Trump has previously spoken fondly of the alliance between the US and the Kurds, which resulted in the key capture of the city of Raqqa from Islamic State in 2017.

He has described them as “great people, great fighters”, adding: “They fought with us, they died with us, we lost tens of thousands of Kurds fighting ISIS. They’re great people and we have not forgotten.”

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