US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warns Turkey against striking Syria

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Wednesday of "devastating" results if Turkey strikes Syria as he met in Washington with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. "Secretary Pompeo expressed support for ongoing negotiations regarding northeast Syria, while warning of the potentially devastating consequences of unilateral Turkish military action in the region," the State Department said in a statement after their talks.

Turkey has repeatedly threatened to hit the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces, who joined Western forces in battling the Islamic State group but which Ankara links to the separatist PKK movement at home.

Fears for the safety of the fighters has led the United States to delay President Donald Trump's decision to remove US troops from Syria.

Cavusoglu was visiting Washington as part of 70th-anniversary celebrations for the NATO alliance. "We held a constructive discussion with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the issues in our bilateral relations & issues in our joint agenda," tweeted Cavusoglu.