BREAKING NEWS

Erdogan claims there are no ongoing clashes in northeast Syria

ISTANBUL - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that there were no ongoing clashes in northeastern Syria, where Turkey has been carrying out an offensive, after Ankara agreed with Washington to pause its offensive while Kurdish forces withdraw.
On Friday morning, shelling could be heard at the Syrian-Turkish border despite the five-day ceasefire to clear a planned "safe zone" of Kurdish militia, while the United States said the deal covered only part of the territory Ankara aims to seize.
However, Erdogan said the "safe zone" would stretch 440 km (273 miles) along Turkey's border with Syria, with its eastern edge on its border with Iraq, and added that a depth of 20 miles (32 km) was agreed on with the United States.
He told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul that U.S. and Turkish officials would be in constant contact to implement the agreement together.