The Turkish Defence Ministry has said that all preparations are completed for a military incursion into northern Syria.
Framing it as a humanitarian operation, the ministry said in a tweet: "The establishment of a Safe Zone/ Peace Corridor is essential for Syrians to have a safe life by contributing to the stability and peace of our region."
"The Turkish Armed Forces will never tolerate the creation of a terror corridor at our borders. All preparations for the operation have been completed."
The announcement came 24 hours after US President Donald Trump revealed that American forces would pull out of an area of northern Syria where the expected incursion is due to happen.
Mr Trump's move was met with near universal astonishment and confusion even from the president's own side.
The former US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, tweeted: "We must always have the backs of our allies, if we expect them to have our back.
"The Kurds were instrumental in our successful fight against ISIS in Syria. Leaving them to die is a big mistake. #TurkeyIsNotOurFriend."
We must always have the backs of our allies, if we expect them to have our back. The Kurds were instrumental in our successful fight against ISIS in Syria. Leaving them to die is a big mistake. #TurkeyIsNotOurFriend
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) October 7, 2019
Overnight, a senior US Administration Official said that the White House announcement did not mean that US forces would leave Syria altogether.
Only 50-100 "special operators" would be removed from a zone the Turks are preparing to move into.
The official said: "The President has made it very clear, publicly and privately, that the United States does not endorse or support any Turkish operation in Northern Syria.
"There will be no US Armed Forces involvement or support of any operation that the Turks undertake.
"We also made it clear that if Turkey undertakes such an operation, that US troops cannot be put into any danger."
The official denied that the White House decision amounted to a "green light" for Turkey to invade Syria and kill Kurdish troops.
Up to 70,000 Isis prisoners and their families are being held by Kurdish forces in camps near the area the Turks are preparing to advance on.
Reacting to Mr Trump's decision and the Turkish threats, the United Nations coordinator for the region said the organisation was "preparing for the worst".
For years, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to mount an incursion into northern Syria, which he sees as strategically advantageous.
Mr Erdogan also argues that the move would relieve the pressure his country and Europe is facing from Syrian refugees.
His government is proposing that the captured land is used to home Syrian migrants currently in Turkey and with the safety and prospects of Europe in their sights.
However, to take them back to Syria could expose them to what's left of the Islamic State as well as Syrian government forces who they escaped and who still have influence in the area.
Reporting by IRN
