Turkish forces and members of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army near the border town of Mabrouka (Picture: PA). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected calls from US President Donald Trump to declare a ceasefire and halt Turkey's cross-border offensive into Syria. As the NATO nation enters an eighth day of attacks in the northern region, Mr Erdogan said Turkey "could never declare a ceasefire."

Turkey's leader also said he is unphased by the presence of Syrian government troops moving into the city of Manbij to support the Kurdish forces. Turkey considers the Kurds, who form the majority of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), terrorists. Mr Trump announced plans for a ceasefire and issued a statement detailing new economic sanctions on Turkey in response to the offensive. Mr Erdogan said "we cannot declare a ceasefire until we clear this region".

Turkey launched its offensive last Wednesday (Picture: PA).