Turkey-Syria border: US denies giving Turkey green light

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has denied he gave Turkey a green light for its offensive in Syria.

Mr Pompeo defended president Donald Trump’s widely criticised decision to withdraw US troops from the northern border area.

Meanwhile, Turkey on Wednesday launched an assault on territory held by Kurdish-led forces – key allies of the US in the region.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the aim was to prevent the creation of a terror corridor on the border.

Turkey said its plan was to create a safe zone cleared of Kurdish militias which will also house Syrian refugees.

However critics say the operation could lead to ethnic cleansing of the local Kurdish population in northern Syria and a revival of the Islamic State (IS) militant group.