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Turkey to suspend Syria offensive, Mike Pence announces | Turkey to suspend Syria offensive, Mike Pence announces |
(32 minutes later) | |
Turkey has agreed to a ceasefire in northern Syria to let Kurdish-led forces withdraw, US Vice-President Mike Pence has announced. | Turkey has agreed to a ceasefire in northern Syria to let Kurdish-led forces withdraw, US Vice-President Mike Pence has announced. |
The development followed talks in Ankara between Mr Pence and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. | The development followed talks in Ankara between Mr Pence and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. |
All military operations will be paused for five days, and the US will help facilitate an "orderly withdrawal" of Kurdish-led troops from what Turkey has termed a "safe zone" on the border. | All military operations will be paused for five days, and the US will help facilitate an "orderly withdrawal" of Kurdish-led troops from what Turkey has termed a "safe zone" on the border. |
Turkey launched its assault last week. | Turkey launched its assault last week. |
Its goal was to push back from its border a Kurdish militia - the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - that it views as a terrorist organisation. | |
Turkey had hoped to resettle up to two million Syrian refugees in the area, but critics raised fears that could trigger ethnic cleansing of the local Kurdish population. | |
The cross-border offensive came after US President Donald Trump announced he was pulling US forces out of the border region - a decision widely criticised in the US and internationally. | The cross-border offensive came after US President Donald Trump announced he was pulling US forces out of the border region - a decision widely criticised in the US and internationally. |
The SDF fought alongside the US against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, and the decision to leave the forces in the path of a likely Turkish invasion has been condemned as the abandonment of an ally. | |
How has Trump reacted? | |
President Trump tweeted about the Turkish ceasefire before Mr Pence unveiled it, writing: "Millions of lives will be saved!" | |
He added later: "This deal could NEVER have been made 3 days ago. There needed to be some "tough" love in order to get it done. Great for everybody. Proud of all!" | He added later: "This deal could NEVER have been made 3 days ago. There needed to be some "tough" love in order to get it done. Great for everybody. Proud of all!" |
Mr Pence credited Donald Trump's "strong leadership" during the announcement, saying: "He wanted a ceasefire. He wanted to stop the violence." | Mr Pence credited Donald Trump's "strong leadership" during the announcement, saying: "He wanted a ceasefire. He wanted to stop the violence." |
"I am proud of the United States for sticking by me in following a necessary, but somewhat unconventional, path," Mr Trump added on Twitter. | |
What does Turkey say? | |
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told journalists the offensive would only be permanently halted when the SDF had left the border zone. | Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told journalists the offensive would only be permanently halted when the SDF had left the border zone. |
"We are suspending the operation, not halting it," he said. "We will halt the operation only after [Kurdish forces] completely withdraw from the region." | "We are suspending the operation, not halting it," he said. "We will halt the operation only after [Kurdish forces] completely withdraw from the region." |
Mr Cavusoglu said Turkey had also secured its goal of having heavy arms removed from the Kurdish-led fighters, and their positions destroyed. | |
Mr Pence said the US would lift economic sanctions imposed on Turkey when the military offensive ended, and would not impose more in the meantime. | Mr Pence said the US would lift economic sanctions imposed on Turkey when the military offensive ended, and would not impose more in the meantime. |
The SDF was not represented at the talks between Washington and Ankara, and have not yet commented on the developments. | The SDF was not represented at the talks between Washington and Ankara, and have not yet commented on the developments. |
Mr Pence said the US had contacted the Kurdish-led alliance, and would help facilitate their withdrawal. | |
Speaking to Al Arabiya, senior Kurdish politician Aldar Xelil said he welcomed an end to the fighting, but that the SDF would defend itself if exposed to violence. |