Turkey within Trump red line, US seeking ceasefire: official

The president lastly stated that the US could mediate a deal between Ankara and the Kurds

Turkey's assault on Syrian Kurdish forces has not breached a red line declared by President Donald Trump, a US official said Thursday, as he added that Washington wanted to broker a ceasefire.

Trump, in a week of mixed messages, initially voiced understanding for Turkey before criticizing the offensive and warning of sanctions if the operation is not "humane."

"We have been tasked by the president to try to see if there are areas of commonality between the two sides (and if) there's a way that we can find our way to a ceasefire," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Asked to define what actions would violate Trump's vague warning, the US official said they would include "ethnic cleansing... indiscriminate artillery, air and other fires directed at civilian populations."

"That is what we're looking at right now. We have not seen significant examples of that so far, but we're very early," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

In a tweet, the President said that the US had three options in the current situation after Turkey launched an offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria's north upon the American military's withdrawal from the area.

One option, according to Trump, was to deploy the US armed forces and win militarily. Trump added that hitting Turkey with financial sanctions and devastate it economically would also be taken into consideration. 

The president lastly stated that the US could mediate a deal between Ankara and the Kurds.  

A US-mediated deal between the Kurdish-led SDF (Syrian Defense Forces) and Turkey may not look like a realistic scenario when Turkish forces are pushing aggressively on Kurdish positions. 

However, US military action against a NATO ally would be almost inconceivable despite Trump's reputation for being unpredictable. 

Earlier on Thursday, Ankara pushed back on the prospect of US sanctions slapped on Turkey, as proposed by a group of US lawmakers, saying it would retaliate against such actions.

Trump's decision to withdraw the US forces from Syria's north in an apparent go-ahead for the ongoing Turkish incursion has been met with outcry from both his allies and critics.

UN chief Antonio Guterres voiced "deep concern" over Ankara's actions on Thursday, and the five European UNSC members issued a joint statement calling for an immediate halt to the operation.