'Big success' at Turkey-Syria border, Trump says after Ankara-Moscow deal
U.S. President Donald Trump hailed two major deals Turkey reached with Washington and Moscow to establish a planned safe zone on the Turkey-Syria border.
- World
- Compiled from wire services
- Published Date: 04:48 | 23 October 2019
- Modified Date: 07:30 | 23 October 2019
"Big success" has been achieved at the Turkish-Syrian border, U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday after Turkey and Russia agreed on a safe zone deal.
"Safe Zone created! Ceasefire has held and combat missions have ended. Kurds are safe and have worked very nicely with us. Captured ISIS (Daesh) prisoners secured," Trump tweeted.
He also said he will be making a statement at 11:00 a.m. (EDT) from the White House.
The deal, reached between Ankara and Moscow on Tuesday, will see Russian military police and Syrian border guards "facilitate the removal" of People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorists and their weapons from within 30 kilometers (18 miles) of the border.
This withdrawal must be finalized within 150 hours.
The Turkey-Russia agreement was reached after marathon talks between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Tuesday.
It will also see Turkey preserve a "safe zone" inside Syria about 120 km long and 32 km deep. Russia and Turkey will eventually launch joint patrols along the zone.