The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voiced its bipartisan condemnation of President Donald Trump's withdrawal of American forces from Syria.
The vote came ahead of Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's trip Wednesday night to the Turkish capital to try to negotiate an end to the fighting.
DOWNLOAD: Free WFTV News & Weather Apps
On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will not agree to a ceasefire and President Trump defended his decision to pull U.S. troops out of northern Syria.
"Our soldiers are not in harm's way, as they shouldn't be, as two countries fight over land that has nothing to do with us," Trump said.
Trump also said sanctions on Turkey are more effective at maintaining stability between the Turks and the Kurds than military action.
However, Erdogan mocked President Trump and said, he can no longer keep up on the president's tweets on Syria. He also told Turkish reporters: "We will never declare a ceasefire. We are not worried about sanctions."
Meanwhile, Turkish militias reportedly came too close for comfort when U.S. forces were evacuating, leading the U.S. to scramble F-15 fighter jets and Apache helicopters.
Turkish troops have advanced into Kurdish territory with the help of extremist militias, who are reportedly executing Kurdish forces.
The Kurds fought the Islamic State group alongside the U.S., but Turkey considers them terrorists, and Trump said the Kurds didn't always make the best allies.
"The Kurds are much safer right now. But the Kurds know how to fight. And as I said, they're not angels," Trump said.
Republicans, including one of Trump's closets allies, are criticizing his decision to move troops out.
"We are about to destroy the best ally we've had on the ground in the fight against ISIS. That would be a dishonorable act. It would be a national security disaster," said Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Now, Russia is positioning itself as the lead power broker in the crisis while supporting the Syrian regime.
Trump also said members of the Islamic State group who were being held in prisons by Kurdish fighters in Syria have been deliberately released in an effort to make him look bad.
Senior U.S. officials are casting doubt on those claims. They said the Kurds have stayed to guard the detention centers that hold thousands of militants and believe only a small number have escaped.
Not near a TV? Click here to watch WFTV newscasts live
Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/WZ5DBKQBMBGJTNYMRNUIFSQM74.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/WQ27IEQX4ZCSHHOV5SDI3RPS5I.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/ELPLRWP63NCRHM26PJTYO7KO6Q.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/ZRBUBVWFNJFXJP6ZQG2ANEROVE.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/JTVU2V6QZJDPJOFRLIAS3424MY.jpg)