US President Donald Trump announced that the temporary ceasefire reached last week between Turkey and Kurdish forces in northern Syria had now become a permanent ceasefire.

"Earlier this morning, the government of Turkey informed my administration that they would be stopping combat and their offensive in Syria and making the ceasefire permanent," Trump said, while acknowledging that the word "permanent" is "somewhat questionable" in the Middle East.

"I have, therefore, instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to lift all sanctions imposed October 14th in response to Turkey's original offensive moves against the Kurds," he said.

"This was an outcome created by us, the United States, and nobody else.

Trump stated that the US was "getting out" of Syria and that only a small number of American troops would remain to protect the country's oil reserves.

"We were supposed to be there for 30 days. That was almost 10 years ago. So we're there for 30 days, and now we're leaving. It's supposed to be a very quick hit, and let's get out and it was a quick hit except they stayed for almost 10 years," he said.