Turkey agrees to temporary ceasefire in Syria

U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence said Turkey has agreed to a ceasefire in northern Syria on Thursday

Pence and a U.S. delegation met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier to persuade him to halt an offensive against Kurdish fighters. Pence said Erdogan agreed to a “pause in military operations for 120 hours” to let the U.S. facilitate the withdrawal of Kurdish YPG fighters from the contested area of Syria. Turkey pledged not to bomb during this time, while Pence said U.S. forces in the region had already begun to facilitate a safe disengagement of YPG units.US President Donald Trump was reportedly emotional after the cease-fire decision came out and termed it a ‘beneficial outcome for all sides’.

The deal struck with Erdogan also provided for Turkey not to engage in military operations in the flashpoint Syrian border town of Kobani. Turkish President Erdogan will visit Kremlin for working talks with Rusian counterpart Vladimir Putin this week.