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US Sanctions Turkey, Seeks Halt to Syria Offensive

VOA News

   U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring Turkey to stop its offensive
   in northern Syria with calls for a cease-fire and sanctions against
   Turkish officials, as he plans to send a delegation led by Vice
   President Mike Pence to Ankara for talks to resolve the situation.

   Trump's action follows sharp criticism in the week since the White
   House announced Turkey was going forward with its long-held plans to
   try to carve out a buffer zone along its border with Syria free from
   the U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters it accuses of being terrorists linked
   to separatist Kurds in Turkey.

   Turkey's incursion pushed the Syrian Democratic Forces to reach an
   agreement with the Syrian government that has brought Syrian troops
   back into the northeastern part of the country for the first time in
   years, including on Monday reaching the town of Manbij.

   Trump spoke Monday with both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
   General Mazloum Kobani, the head of the mostly Kurdish SDF that the
   United States has relied on to battle Islamic State militants in Syria.

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