US delegation arrives in Turkey to persuade Erdogan to accept Syria ceasefire

US Vice-President Mike Pence arrived in Turkey on Thursday in a bid to persuade Ankara to halt its military operation in northern Syria.

Pence is heading a delegation that includes US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien.

He wants Erdogan to accept a ceasefire in Turkey's campaign to clear Kurdish fighters from the Syrian border zone.

Turkey moved into northern Syria last week after US President Donald Trump ordered his forces to withdraw from the area, effectively giving Erdogan a green light to launch his assault on the Kurds.

Read more: Turkish President Erdogan put Trump's Syria letter 'in the bin'

In a letter dated 9 October and sent after US troops were pulled out of Syria, President Donald Trump told Mr Erdogan: "Don't be a tough guy. Don't be a fool!"

"You don't want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don't want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy - and I will."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said he put Trump's controversial letter on the Syria offensive "in the bin", according to the BBC.

The Turkish offensive in northeastern Syria against Kurdish militants has displaced more than 300,000 people.