MojNews-Hundreds of Kurdish forces remain near to Syria’s northeast border despite a U.S.-brokered truce demanding their withdrawal and Turkey could resume its offensive in the area when the ceasefire expires, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said.

The five-day truce in Turkey’s cross-border offensive to allow the withdrawal of Kurdish YPG fighters from the border area ends at 10 pm (1900 GMT) on Tuesday.

Turkey says Kurdish YPG militia forces, which it views as terrorists because of their links to Kurdish militants waging an insurgency in southeast Turkey, must leave a “ safe zone ” it wants to establish inside Syria.

“The withdrawal is continuing,” Erdogan told reporters at Ankara airport before flying to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin on Syria.

“According to the information I have received from my defense minister we are talking about 700-800 already withdrawn and the rest, around 1,200-1,300, are continuing to withdraw. It has been said that they will withdraw,” Erdogan said. “All will have to get out, the process will not end before they are out.”