President Donald Trump suggested Monday that Kurdish fighters may be releasing imprisoned Islamic State group jihadists to bait the United States into remaining involved in northeastern Syria.

Turkey denied that its offensive in northern Syria had allowed Islamic State prisoners to break out of detention camps, charging Monday that Kurdish militants had instead deliberately "emptied" a prison. 

EU foreign ministers on Monday voiced concern and condemnation at Turkey's assault on Kurdish forces in northern Syria, but warned their options for coordinated action across the bloc were limited.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday welcomed the announcement by Washington that it was pulling out 1,000 troops from northern Syria. 

The Syrian regime sent troops towards the Turkish border Monday to contain Ankara's deadly offensive against the Kurds, stepping in for US forces due to begin a controversial withdrawal.

Conservative political outsider Kais Saeid has won Tunisia's presidential election with 72.71 percent of votes, the North African country's electoral commission said Monday.

Turkish forces and their proxies pushed deep into Syria Sunday, moving closer to completing their assault's initial phase, while Washington announced it was pulling out 1,000 troops from the country's north.

The Pentagon said Sunday President Donald Trump had ordered the withdrawal of up to 1,000 troops from northern Syria -- almost the entire ground force in war-torn country -- amid an intensifying Turkish assault on Kurdish forces.

Egypt has detained two prominent activists who played key roles in the 2011 revolution, activists and a rights group said, the latest in a wave of arrests in recent weeks.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that threats of sanctions and arms embargoes by Western powers would not stop Turkey's military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria.