Turkey has agreed to a five-day ceasefire in Syria to let Kurdish-led forces withdraw after a high-level US delegation met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

Key points: The deal gives Turkey relief from sanctions imposed by the US since the operation began

The deal gives Turkey relief from sanctions imposed by the US since the operation began Turkey's foreign minister said Turkish Armed Forces will control the zone under the new agreement

Turkey's foreign minister said Turkish Armed Forces will control the zone under the new agreement Australia says the region is still too volatile to repatriate Australian women and children held in IS detention camps

US Vice-President Mike Pence said there will be "a pause in military operations for 120 hours" and the US will help facilitate an "orderly withdrawal" of Kurdish-led troops.

The agreement essentially gives the Turks what they had sought to achieve with their military operation in the first place — the removal of the Kurdish forces from the so-called safe zone.

In addition, the deal gives Turkey relief from sanctions the administration had imposed and threatened to impose since the invasion began, meaning there will be no penalty for the operation.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the US accepted "the importance and functionality" of a "safe zone" and says Turkish Armed Forces will control the zone under the new agreement.

Turkish troops and Turkish-backed Syrian fighters launched their offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria a week ago. ( AP )

Mr Cavusoglu insisted that Turkey had agreed to a "pause" in fighting, rejecting the term ceasefire, which he said is only possible between "two legitimate sides".

"We will only halt our operation after the terrorist elements depart," Mr Cavusoglu said.

"The pause does not mean that our soldiers and our forces will withdraw. We remain there and continue to be there."

The commander of Kurdish-led forces in Syria, Mazloum Abdi, told Kurdish TV that they will abide by the "tentative agreement".

"We will do whatever we can for the success of the ceasefire agreement," he said.

Turkish troops and Turkish-backed Syrian fighters launched their offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria a week ago, two days after Mr Trump suddenly announced he was withdrawing the US from the area.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 47 seconds 47 s "This is not a ceasefire": Turkey says it'll continue Syrian incursion

Dutton says too volatile to repatriate Australian IS captives

Despite welcoming news of the ceasefire, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said the region was still too volatile to attempt to repatriate Australian women and children held in detention camps.

"The advice is consistent to us, and that is that there's not an opportunity given the danger there at the moment," Mr Dutton said.

"We've been able to bring back some orphans, as you know, but we're not in a position where we're able to go into those camps."

More than 60 Australian women and children are living in the al-Hawl camp for relatives of Islamic State members.

The camps holding the IS women were always unstable but since Donald Trump cleared the way for Turkey's invasion they've become chaotic.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 59 seconds 59 s Australian IS captives plead for help from al-Hawl camp in Syria

On Tuesday, Australian women at al-Hawl made desperate pleas for help.

"We understand the world has hate, but we're asking just as regretful humans, don't let us fall into the hands of the regime, please."

The Minister said the Government could look at individual cases relating to children, but warned there was significant risk in doing so.

"It's a tragedy that parents, mothers and fathers, have made a decision to take children into a theatre of war," Mr Dutton said.

"But we've been very clear we're not going to put Australian Defence, Foreign Affairs or Home Affairs personnel or other agencies' staff at risk."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Sydney radio station 2GB a pause in fighting in Syria was not a safe opportunity to bring Australian women and children held in the area back home.

"It's a very dangerous place, and I think there is a concerning naivety about the real situation on the ground there," Mr Morrison said.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne urged all parties to make the halt in fighting in Syria permanent.

In a statement, Ms Payne said the full implications and conditions of the deal were still unclear.

She said Australia's highest priorities were to stop the resurgence of Islamic State and to avoid a humanitarian crisis.

'A great day for civilisation'

Turkish troops and Turkish-backed Syrian fighters are fighting Kurdish forces in northern Syria. ( Reuters: Murad Sezer )

After more than four hours of negotiations with Mr Erdogan, Mr Pence said the purpose of his high-level mission was to end the bloodshed caused by Turkey's invasion of Syria.

Mr Pence said the deal is a testament to the strong relationship between the two countries, adding the US and Turkey have "mutually committed to a peaceful resolution and future for the safe zone".

US President Donald Trump declared it "a great day for civilisation".

"Everybody agreed to things that three days ago they would have never agreed to," he told reporters.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 42 seconds 42 s Trump credits "unconventional" approach for temporary ceasefire.

"That includes the Kurds. The Kurds are now much more inclined to do what has to be done. Turkey is much more inclined to do what has to be done."

On Twitter, Mr Trump praised his own "unconventional path" saying, "people have been trying to make this 'Deal' for many years. Millions of lives will be saved."

In his response, Mr Erdogan tweeted: "Mr President, many more lives will be saved when we defeat terrorism."

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Pelosi and Schumer slam ceasefire

But leading US politicians were less pleased than Mr Trump.

Senator Mitt Romney, the Republicans' presidential nominee in 2012, said he welcomed the ceasefire but wanted to know what America's role in the region would be and why Turkey was facing no consequences for its invasion.

"Further, the ceasefire does not change the fact that America has abandoned an ally," he said.

It was not clear whether the deal meant the US military would play a role in enabling or enforcing the ceasefire.

Ms Pelosi said the five-day ceasefire was a "sham". ( Reuters: Jonathan Ernst )

Mr Pence said the US would "facilitate" the Kurds' pullout, but he did not say if that would include the use of American troops.

The Pentagon had no immediate comment.

The Congress's two top Democrats slammed the five-day ceasefire.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the agreement is a "sham" that showed President Trump was "flailing."

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In a tweet, Ms Pelosi said the agreement "seriously undermines the credibility of America's foreign policy."

The Democrats said Turkey surrendered nothing while Mr Trump gave Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "everything".

They said the deal damaged American credibility and left thousands of Islamic State prisoners in the hands of Turkey and Syria's government, representing a security threat to the US.

Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer said the US and its allies "deserve smart, strong and sane leadership from Washington."

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a brief statement that the UN welcomed any effort to de-escalate the situation but "recognises that there is still a long way to go for an effective solution to the crisis in Syria".

ABC/wires