But, he says, Washington hasn't seen widespread evidence of ethnic cleansing; defense secretary says Turkey 'heading in wrong direction' after Trump announces lifting of sanctions

'Let someone else fight over this long, blood-stained sand,' president says; Critics charge move leads to loss of US influence in area and will see Islamic State resurgence

Kremlin tells Kurdish fighters to pull back from frontier or face being 'steamrolled' by Turkish forces

Hours before Ankara set to resume offensive against US allies, leaders of Turkey and Russia agree to create 20-mile deep area free of Kurdish fighters

US pullout being carried out with more haste and violence than expected, and may be partially reversed, as troops caught in middle of Turkish fire aimed at Kurdish forces

Defense Secretary Mark Esper says American pullout will take several weeks and all forces will be sent to western Iraq to continue fight against Islamic State

Pullout from Ras al-Ain comes as US troops leave their largest base in north of country; Trump tweets ceasefire 'holding up very nicely'

Police on high alert to ward off any new violence from protests over Turkish assault after clashes erupt on sidelines of a pro-Kurdish demonstration in western city of Herne

Clashes reported in key border town of Ras al-Ayn as Turkish interior minister says 41 suspected jihadists who fled detention camp have been recaptured

As scattered fighting flares, top Republican in Congress warns Trump's pullout of US forces will 'embolden our enemies, and weaken important alliances'