Turkey warns Kurdish forces to withdraw, ahead of deadline

ISTANBUL — Turkey's foreign minister has renewed warnings that his country will resume its military offensive in northeast Syria if Kurdish fighters don't vacate the region before the end of a US-brokered cease-fire Tuesday evening.

Speaking in Istanbul Monday, Mevlut Cavusoglu said: "If they don't withdraw, our operation will re-start."

He accused Syrian Kurdish groups of 30 live fire violations of the four-day-old truce, which killed one Turkish soldier.

He said Turkey retaliated against these attacks.

He added however, that Kurdish fighters were complying with the US-backed deal and withdrawing from areas that Turkey controls following its wide-ranging incursion, launched on Oct 9.

Turkey has demanded that Kurdish forces withdraw from a border strip in northern Syria 30 kilometers (19 miles) deep, where it intends to resettle refugees.

AP