World  - Amnesty International said on Friday the military offensive by Turkey in northeast Syria risked creating a devastating humanitarian catastrophe and could further destabilize the region.

"Hostilities will impact and restrict access to humanitarian aid, pushing the civilian population - which has already suffered years of violence and displacement - to the brink," said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International's Europe Director.

Turkey has launched the operation saying it will set up a safe zone stretching along its border inside Syria to rid the area of Kurdish fighters that it labels terrorists, and to resettle Syrian refugees. The offensive began after U.S. President Donald Trump gave Erdogan permission in a phone call on Sunday.

"The offensive is being accompanied by a draconian crackdown on dissent and censorship of the media with investigations under anti-terrorism laws and police detention, targeting those criticizing the military operation," Struthers said.

Turkey's police department announced on Wednesday that it had launched investigations into 78 people over social media posts criticizing Turkey' military offensive.

Suppressing criticism of the military operation and targeting social media users with threats of detention and criminal prosecutions is "unacceptable", she said.