Turkey's preparations for an offensive in northern Syria have been "completed", the defence ministry said Tuesday, after confusing signals from the US over whether it would allow an operation.
US President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of US troops from Turkey's border with Syria after a phone call with his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Turkish president has repeatedly threatened to attack Kurdish militants in northern Syria due to their ties with separatists in his own country.
"All of the preparations for an operation have been completed," the Turkish defence ministry tweeted, hours after US forces withdrew from the border area.
Mr Erdogan had earlier said the operation could come at any moment "without warning".
Trump's move was seen by critics as an abandonment of Kurdish forces which had been the key ally in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
But there was confusion later on Monday when Trump tweeted that he would "obliterate" Turkey's economy if it did anything he did not like.
The White House also said Turkey would be responsible for thousands of IS prisoners currently held in Kurdish detention centres.
Ankara says it wants a "safe zone" along northern Syria that will act as a buffer against Kurdish forces and also allow the return home of up to two million Syrian refugees.
It has previously launched two cross-border offensives against IS in 2016 and the YPG in 2018, with the support of Syrian rebels.
OpenAI Blocks Iranian Group's ChatGPT Accounts For Targeting US Election Video: Private Equity CEO Arrested After Body-Slamming Teen At US Restaurant US Court Calls Google Monopolist, Says It Violates Competition Law Parents Gave Names Of Interns, Doctors To CBI In Kolkata Horror: Sources Who Is Jasveen Sangha, "Ketamine Queen" Charged With Matthew Perry's Death How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan 80 Killed In Paramilitary Attack In Sudan OpenAI Blocks Iranian Group's ChatGPT Accounts For Targeting US Election Blinken Heading To Israel To Press Gaza Truce Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.