Turkey, US Agree To 120-hour Ceasefire in Syria

By Staff, Agencies

Turkey agreed to end its military incursion in northern Syria after Kurdish fighters withdraw from a safe zone, US Vice President Mike Pence said.

Ankara’s incursion "will be halted entirely on completion" of the withdrawal, Pence told reporters following more than five hours of negotiations between a US delegation and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday.

Pence stated that Turkey will suspend its military operation for 120 hours to allow Kurdish YPG militants to pull out from the designated safe zone along the Turkish and Syrian border.

“Today the United States and Turkey have agreed to a ceasefire in Syria, in order to allow from YPG forces to withdraw from the safe zone for 120 hours,” Pence said.

Turkey's military will primarily enforce a "safe zone" in northern Syria, according to a joint US-Turkish statement.

"The safe zone will be primarily enforced by the Turkish Armed Forces," the statement said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Turkey's military was only "pausing" operations so that the Kurdish YPG forces could leave the zone.

He added no guarantees were made in the talks on the flashpoint Syrian border town of Kobane.