‘Tough love’ with Turkey got Syria ceasefire done – Trump

US President Donald Trump hailed the news that Turkey agreed to halt its operation in Syria pending the withdrawal of Kurdish militia from the ‘safe zone’ along the border, crediting his “tough love” approach for the breakthrough.

“This deal could NEVER have been made 3 days ago. There needed to be some ‘tough’ love in order to get it done,” Trump tweeted on Thursday, adding he was “proud of all” involved.

Moments earlier, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Ankara had agreed to a 120-hour ceasefire, and to stop its ‘Operation Peace Spring’ entirely if the US-allied Kurdish militias completed their withdrawal beyond a 20-kilometer “safe zone” along the Turkey-Syria border.

Trump’s “tough love” most likely referred to sanctions against individual Turkish officials involved in the operation and steep tariffs on Turkish steel, which he threatened Ankara with after the incursion began last week.

The sanctions will be lifted “very quickly once this is finalized,” Trump told reporters on Thursday. He called the deal “something we’ve been trying to get for 10 years,” that could only be achieved through his “unconventional” approach.

Trump described everyone – the US, Turkey and Kurds alike – as “very happy” with this solution.

It's really a great day for civilization.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched the invasion last Wednesday, after  Trump ordered the withdrawal of some 30 US Special Forces personnel stationed in the area. The Kurds responded by striking a deal with the Syrian government, whose troops moved in to block the Turkish-backed militants along the border.

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