"We will ensure that no ISIS (Islamic State) fighters leave northeastern Syria,"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote in the Wall Street Journal. He vowed not to allow any Islamic State fighters to escape northern Syria, in an editorial published Tuesday, following fears from Western nations over its offensive in the region.
He added that Western countries were hypocritical to worry that Turkey's operation against Kurdish militants risked a mass escape of jihadists.
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"The same countries that lecture Turkey on the virtues of combating ISIS today failed to stem the influx of foreign terrorist fighters in 2014 and 2015," Erdogan wrote.
Trump in the meantime phoned Erdogan and demanded an immediate truce, Vice-President Mike Pence said.
US slapped sanctions on Turkey Monday, accusing its NATO partner of putting civilians at risk and allowing the release of extremists.
Turkey had maintained that they will keep up the Syrian assault. Turkey's enmity with the Kurds dates to The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK, who, in its terror campaign against Turkey, that has been going on for more than 30 years, has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
Kurdish authorities claim the Turkish assault makes it difficult to maintain security at their detention centres.
Turkey has accused Kurdish forces of freeing detainees "to fuel chaos in the area". Some relatives of IS family members have made the same claim. Turkey says about 800 IS family members escaped a camp at Ain Issa on Sunday, and five jihadists broke out of another prison on Friday.
Ankara has vowed to take control of all detention centres in its operational area.
"We are prepared to cooperate with source countries and international organizations on the rehabilitation of foreign terrorist fighters' spouses and children," Erdogan wrote in the Wall Street Journal editorial.
Kurdish forces, in the meantime, has said US withdrawal of forces is a 'stab in the back'. The Kurdish forces have lost 11,000 fighters in its fight against IS, alongside the US.
President Trump, on Twitter, had said that he would raise tariffs on Turkish steel to 50 per cent. Vice President Mike Pence is expected to visit Syria soon.
"The United States and our partners have liberated 100 per cent of ISIS's ruthless territorial caliphate," Trump had said on Twitter, indicating that Turkey's move to launch an offensive on Syria was uncalled for.
