Turkey remained defiant against mounting international pressure to curb its military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria, raising tensions with Washington as Vice President Mike Pence heed for Ankara on Wednesday to demand a ceasefire. Battles rd in key Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain as dawn broke on Wednesday, with Kurdish fighters trying to hold off onslaught by Turkish-backed forces, w in its second week. fighting has triggered a flurry of diplomacy among major powers, with US President Donald Trump dispatching Pence along with his top diplomat Mike Pompeo to Turkey amid greatest crisis in relations for deces between NATO allies. Kremlin said it would host President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vlimir Putin in coming days, to ensure operation does t turn into an all-out war between Turkey and Syria. 

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Erdogan unfazed with concerns

Russia has stepped into void caused by Trump's withdrawal of US troops from rrn Syria, deploying patrols to prevent clashes between Syrian and Turkish forces. Trump -- facing mounting criticism in Washington over his decision to pull 1,000 troops out of conflict zone, as well as an unrelated impeachment inquiry -- has hit back at Erdogan, slapping sanctions on three cabinet officials and raising tariffs on Turkish steel. Pence said he would meet with Erdogan on Thursday and "voice United States' commitment to reach an immediate ceasefire and conditions for a negotiated settlement", his office said in a statement. He reiterated that Trump will pursue "punishing ecomic sanctions" until a resolution is reached.

But Erdogan remained unfazed by pressure, telling reporters: "y tell us 'to declare a ceasefire'. We can never declare a ceasefire." operation has widespre support in Turkey, where deces of bloody insurgency by Kurdish militants has killed tens of thousands of people.

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Operation endangers fight against ISIS

But Western powers are spooked that operation is endangering battle against Islamic State group, which was led on ground by Kurdish forces. Thousands of IS prisoners are held in Kurdish-run camps in region. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Wednesday that camps were t "currently" under threat from operation, but Europe has taken an increasingly tough line with Turkey. Britain and Spain became latest powers to suspend military exports to Turkey on Tuesday. Cana me a similar move. Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have mounted a desperate defense to east of Ras al-Ain, using tunnels, berms, and trenches.

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scenes in Syria post-Turkish offensive

An AFP correspondent said clashes around town were ongoing on Wednesday despite Ankara's repeated claims it h captured area. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Kurdish fighters h launched "a large counterattack against Turkish forces and ir Syrian proxies near Ras al-Ain" on Tuesday and reported, "fierce combat" in west of town as well as in Tal Aby. Since launching ir assault on October 9, Turkish-backed forces have secured more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) of border, but Ras al-Ain -- Siri Kani in Kurdish -- has held out. Erdogan, who like Trump faces political difficulties at home, wants to create a buffer zone stretching 30 kilometers (20 miles) from border into Syrian territory. He wants to destroy Kurdish hopes of an automous enclave that could serve as a launching p for attacks in Turkey, as well as resettle some of 3.6 million Syrian refugees it is hosting.

"God willing, we will quickly secure region stretching from Manbij to our border with Iraq," Erdogan said.

offensive has killed dozens of civilians, mostly on Kurdish side, and displaced at least 160,000 people. Syrian forces have returned to region for first time in years, raising ir flag in Manbij as part of a deal with Kurds. Russia said its military police were patrolling a zone separating regime and Turkish troops, in cooperation with Ankara. With Trump's critics saying that he handed over US allies and stretches of Syria to Russia, United States tried to play down Moscow's role. " number of Russians is very, very limited. But it only takes a few Russians with a big Russian flag to get everybody to pay attention," a senior ministration official told reporters in Washington. Meanwhile, at least three French women escapees were "retrieved" by IS, according to messs y sent to ir lawyer seen by AFP. An SDF official on Twitter Tuesday said more IS relatives h tried and failed to escape overcrowded camp of Al-Hol in eastern Syria.

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