Vice President Mike Pence announced Thursday that Turkey has agreed to a ceasefire in northern Syria between its forces and their allied rebels and U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds. Pence met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier on Thursday.
Pence said at a news conference: "It will be a pause in military operation for 120 hours, while the United States facilitates the withdrawal of YPG (the People's Protection Units) from the affected areas in the safe zone. And once that is completed, Turkey has agreed to a permanent ceasefire and the United States of America will work with Turkey -- will work with nations around the world -- to make sure peace and stability are the order of the day in this safe zone."
The United States said in a joint statement with Turkey that the sanctions it recently imposed on Turkish government ministries and officials would be lifted as soon as Turkey's offensive came to a permanent end.
