Turkish president Erdogan 'threw Trump's Syria letter in bin'

• Turkish presidential sources say the letter was "thoroughly rejected" by Erdogan.
• Trump's mixture of threats and locker-room banter infuriated Turkey's president.
• Erdogan’s staff said he threw the letter into the bin and launched the Syrian operation the same day.

(Karachi) Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan put US President Donald Trump’s letter ‘in the bin’, BBC News reported on Thursday.

In the letter dated October 9, and sent after US troops were pulled out of Syria, Trump told Erdogan: "Don't be a tough guy. Don't be a fool!"

Turkish presidential sources told BBC that the letter was "thoroughly rejected" by Erdogan.

On the day the letter was received, Turkey launched a cross-border offensive against Kurdish-led forces.

"Let's work out a good deal! You don't want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don't want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy - and I will," Trump said in the letter.

"History will look upon you favourably if you get this done the right and humane way. It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don't happen."

In response, Turkish presidential sources said: "President Erdogan received the letter, thoroughly rejected it and put it in the bin."

Donald Trump's mixture of threats and locker-room banter infuriated Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His staff told the BBC that he threw the letter into the bin and launched the Syrian operation the same day. That could be proof there was no Trumpian green light.