US, Turkey Agree on Ceasefire in Syria as Kurd-Assad Alliance Blocks Turkish Offensive

In this handout image provided by the Turkish presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on Oct. 17, 2019. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidency via Getty Images

A U.S. delegation led by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo negotiated with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to agree to a five-day ceasefire in Syria, Pence said on Oct. 17.

Turkey’s week-long military incursion in northern Syria, which it called “Operation Peace Spring,” was met with tough resistance from a new alliance between local Kurdish forces and their previous enemy, the Russian-backed Syrian government.