Mike Pence: 'Turkey, US agree to a 5-day ceasefire in northeast Syria'

Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States on Thursday, October 17, announced that Turkey has agreed to a five-day ceasefire in northeast Syria to allow the withdrawal of the Kurdish forces. Speaking to the media at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Pence said that "Today, Turkey and the United States have agreed to a ceasefire in Syria". Pence held talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan earlier on Thursday. Earlier, the US had started withdrawing its troops from Syria's borders with Turkey. 

Operation Peace Spring

According to news reports, the Vice President of the United States flew to Turkey to call for an 'Operation Peace Spring' that indicated for a halt in Turkey's cross-border military operation. Under this operation, Turkey has aimed to clear the YPG Syrian Kurdish fighters from a 32-km 'safe zone' along the border. According to Pence, Turkey will pause the Operation Peace Spring to allow the withdrawal of the Kurdish forces from the safe zone for 120 hours. 

Read: US Treasury Secretary: 'Sanctions on Turkey if there's no ceasefire'

The US withdraws troops

Earlier, the United States had started withdrawing its troops from Syria's borders with Turkey after the White House made the announcement. According to reports, the decision was made just after the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ankara would kick-off a military air and ground operation in Syria in the next few days. Further reports suggest that the Trump administration wanted to wash its hands off the explosive situation between the Turkish military and the US-allied Kurdish forces. According to reports, over 1,000 troops have been deployed in northeastern Syria, where they work with the Kurdish YGP.

Read: Donald Trump suggests the presence of US nuclear weapons in Turkey

Read: China asks Turkey to cease hostilities and return to diplomacy

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