Fighting Reportedly Resumes On Syrian Border, Hours After Ceasefire Deal

Topline: Shelling was heard on Syria's northern border Friday morning⁠-about 24 hours after a five-day ceasefire was brokered between the U.S. and Turkey⁠-raising questions about the deal's enforceability.

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• Brokered by vice president Mike Pence and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the ceasefire was meant to let Kurdish forces withdraw from northern Syrian border.
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• The Kurds said Friday that Turkey continued its attacks, striking a hospital and civilian areas, which Erdogan denied.
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• According to Reuters, the size of the designated withdrawal area appears to be under dispute, which could be one reason why fighting picked back up.
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• Turkey believes the withdrawal area is hundreds of miles long and 20 miles wide, while both Washington and the Kurds reportedly think it's only a portion of that area.
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• Adding to the uncertainty: The deal did not state a specific start time for the ceasefire, and because U.S. troops withdrew from the area, Washington's ability to enforce it is severely diminished.
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• Human rights group Amnesty International accused Turkey and its militias of committing "serious violations and war crimes" in a Friday statement.

Key background: President Trump stunned the world when he abruptly announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Syria-Turkey border October 7. Critics said the U.S. was abandoning the Kurds, long seen as a U.S. ally and instrumental in the fight against ISIS. Two days later, Turkey mounted an offensive on the Syrian border to reclaim the area. At least 236 civilians have died since the offensive began, reported the New York Times.

Tangent: Although Trump has repeatedly claimed that ISIS has been completely defeated, the conflict between Turkey and Kurdish forces could revive the terrorist group. After Turkey began its offensive, hundreds of ISIS fighters and their families escaped from two Kurdish camps. And the Kurds say ISIS fighters stepped up attacks in the week following the invasion.