Trump discusses 'ending hostilities against Kurds' with Erdogan
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US President Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday that he had a "very good" phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which they discussed "ending hostilities against the Kurds" in Syria.
....Also talked about their Border with Syria, the eradication of terrorism, the ending of hostilities with the Kurds, and many other topics. Look forward to seeing President Erdogan next Wednesday, November 13th at the @WhiteHouse!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2019
Trump also confirmed that he will meet Erdogan in Washington on November 13.
Turkey and its Syrian proxies launched Operation Peace Spring, intended to clear a 32 km-deep zone of Kurdish forces in Northern Syria to resettle Arab Syrian refugees on October 9, a move Kurds say amounts to ethnic cleansing.
The operation commenced after Trump greenlighted the invasion following the withdrawal of US troops from the north of the country.
The leaders are also said to have discussed developments on the Syria-Turkey border, "the eradication of terrorism" and the capture of relatives of Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr-al Baghdadi.
Baghdadi died on October 26 during a raid conducted by US special forces in the Syrian province of Idlib.
Erdogan announced on Wednesday that Turkey has captured one of the wives of slain Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in northern Syria.
"I am announcing for the first time, we captured the wife of Baghdadi as well," state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying during a speech at Ankara University.
Erdogan's announcement came just one day after Turkish officials had confirmed the arrest of Rasmiya Awad, Baghdadi's older sister.
Awad was arrested in the Syrian town of Azaz, in an area of Aleppo Province now under Turkish control. The capture was described as an “intelligence gold mine” according to a senior Turkish official.