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US President Donald Trump said he will lift sanctions on Turkey after the NATO ally agreed to permanently stop fighting Kurdish forces in Syria and he defended his decision to withdraw American troops, saying the U.S. should not be the world's policeman.

"We're getting out," Trump said at the White House, asserting that tens of thousands of Kurdish lives were saved as the result of his actions. "Let someone else fight over this long, blood-stained sand," he said.

Trump warned that if Turkey does not honor its pledge for a permanent cease-fire, he will not hesitate to reimpose sanctions. Earlier this month, Trump halted negotiations on a $100 billion trade deal with Turkey, raised steel tariffs back up to 50% and imposed sanctions on three senior Turkish officials and Turkey's defense and energy ministries.