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Anger pushes sanctions in Washington as Pence, Pompeo visit Ankara

Following an initial delay, multiple sanctions targeting Turkey are emerging from the White House, Congress and Justice Department as a US delegation visits Ankara to negotiate a cease-fire in Syria.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrive for the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - HP1EF9O13M651

A deluge of sanctions may be imposed on Turkey as a US delegation including Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sets off for Ankara to negotiate a cease-fire in Syria with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top officials.

Last week, US President Donald Trump gave the green light for a Turkish military operation in northeast Syria, where Ankara seeks to create a buffer zone between its border and US-backed Kurdish militants it views as security threat. The ongoing fighting has brought international condemnation as well as resistance within Washington, and now the Trump administration appears to be reversing course by threatening to impose severe sanctions if Turkey does not pull back its troops.

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