US-Turkey deadline of withdrawing Turkish Military from Syria ends

Turkey's deadline for Kurdish fighters to withdraw from the northeastern region of Syria expires at 1900 GMT on October 22, informed a Turkish military source to a global news agency. A specific time period of 120 hours was reportedly provided to the war-torn nation by Turkey which started at 10 PM on Thursday, October 17. It has also been informed that following the withdrawal, Ankara has planned to set up a 120-kilometre safe zone between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain which will later be extended to 444 kilometres. The Turkish offensive against Syria particularly against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia started on October 9 as the middle east country considers the militia to be terrorists.

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Pence, Pompeo visit Turkey and agree to lift sanctions if Turkish offensive ends

US Vice President Mike Pence and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Ankara and agreed on a deal after hours of talk. The US official's visit came after severe criticism from the west and US sanctions including raised tariffs on Turkish steel. The US officials in a statement said the US would not slap any further sanctions if the Turkish offensive is ceased and the Kurdish military withdraws from northern Syria. Mike Pence further said that all of the sanctions, including those imposed on Turkish Ministers will be lifted if the aforementioned condition is fulfilled. 

Read: NATO Forms Working Group To Keep An Eye On Turkish Offensive In Syria

Recent updates of the Turkish military in Syria

The Turkish military informed a news agency that about 125 Turkish military vehicles have evacuated the are along with YPG fighters, taking the route leading to the northeastern city of Hasakeh. He added that military plans to neutralize the terrorist left, inferring to the Kurdish military left, in the region after Tuesday. Last week, the Turkish President informed that Ankara would set up 12 observation posts to secure the safe zone under Turkish control. As per recent figures, the Turkish defence ministry said that five Turkish soldiers have been killed so far during the operation while 86 soldiers have been injured. A total of 76 members of the Syrian National Army fighting with them have died, while 273 fighters have been wounded, the Ministry informed.

Read: Turkish Offensive Violates International Law: German FM

(With inputs from agencies)

Read: 1 Turkish Soldier Killed, Amid Shaky Cease-fire In Syria