U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday vowed "big sanctions on Turkey coming" and denied that removing U.S. troops from Syria was risking a mass escape of ISIL prisoners held by the Kurdish forces.
"Kurds may be releasing some to get us involved. Easily recaptured by Turkey or European Nations from where many came, but they should move quickly. Big sanctions on Turkey coming! Do people really think we should go to war with NATO Member Turkey? Never ending wars will end!"
Turkey will not back down from its offensive against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria "no matter what anyone says," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, adding that the battle would continue until "ultimate victory" is achieved.
"We are determined to continue the operation until the end, without paying attention to threats. We will absolutely finish the job we started. Our battle will continue until ultimate victory is achieved," Erdogan said during a speech in Baku.
He also slammed the European Union and Arab League for their criticism of Turkey's operation and asked for international funds for Ankara's "safe zone" plans in northeast Syria.
Kurdish authorities said Sunday that 800 ISIL family members being held in a camp at Ain Issa had fled due to Turkish bombing.
Turkey denied that its offensive in northern Syria had allowed ISIL prisoners to break out of detention camps, charging Monday that Kurdish militants had instead deliberately "emptied" a prison.
"There is only one Daesh (ISIL) prison in our (operation) region and we have seen it was emptied by the YPG (the Kurdish People's Protection Units militia)," Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters.
"There are pictures and films of it," he added, without naming the prison.
Erdogan earlier hit out at "disinformation" reports that Turkey's offensive against Kurdish forces had allowed jihadists to escape.
"This is actually disinformation aimed at provoking America or the West," he said.
Relatives back in France told AFP that Kurdish guards had forced the women and children to leave the camp.
"Today (Sunday), the Kurdish guards opened the doors to the foreign women and asked them to leave the camp," said the mother of a 24-year-old woman, who had been kept at the camp with her infant son for the past 18 months.
"They didn't escape. They (the Kurdish forces) didn't want them. They were expecting to be taken over by Syrian or Turkish forces, but they were kicked out.
For several days, the bombs were falling closer and closer to the camp, where there were no more NGOs, no more help," she added.
Turkey is on the sixth day of its offensive in Syria against the YPG, which it sees as "terrorists" but which were a crucial ally for the United States and Western powers against ISIL.
France, which accounts for the largest number of European jihadists in Syria, said Sunday it was "worried" by the situation and has called for an end to the Turkish offensive.
EU member states united on Monday to condemn Turkey's offensive in Syria but stopped short of imposing an arms embargo, while opening the way to sanctions over Ankara's controversial drilling off Cyprus.
"The EU condemns Turkey's military action, which seriously undermines the stability and the security of the whole region," the bloc said in a joint statement at a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
(With input from AFP)