Syrian Conflict Escalates: 33 Turkish Soldiers Killed
An airstrike which occurred in the Idlib province has claimed 33 Turkish soldiers’ lives. The airstrike was conducted by the Syrian government forces, a senior Turkish official states.
36 others were wounded by the attack in Northwestern Syria, says Rahmi Dogan, the governor of Turkey's Hatay province.
Turkey immediately reacted by taking an offensive on the Syrian government strongholds.
Russia, Syria's and mostly Assad’s vital military affiliate, says that the Turkish militia had been working alongside ‘jihadist fighters’ when they were confronted by the Syrian forces.
The Kremlin denies its own air force was in any way involved in the airstrikes around Behun.
Assad's government forces, backed by Russia, have been struggling to recapture Idlib from rebels who are supported by Turkey. The airstrike occurred after the revolutionaries reclaimed the town of Saraqeb.
The Syrian government has made no public comments on the latest escalation in Idlib, which is the last Syrian province that Damascus cannot control.
"Thirty-three of our soldiers were martyred as a result of the airstrike... by the forces of the [Bashar al-]Assad regime," Mr. Dogan, the Governor of the province, was quoted as saying by the Anadolu news agency.
Immediately after the attack, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a high-level security gathering in Ankara. Minutes later, the Turkish military began managing ground and airstrikes on "all known Syrian government targets,” Turkish communications director Fahrettin Altun said.
The Russian defense ministry claims the Turkish soldiers were slain in a "bombardment" while working alongside "terrorists" in the Behun area.
Russia states that it was in continuous communication with Turkey to guarantee that Turkish soldiers were not aimed at in Idlib, and they further state that Moscow had not been informed that Turkish forces were active in the location.
An unofficial Russian source reports that two Russian warships, armed with ‘cruise missiles’, are being directed towards the Syrian coast.
President Erdogan demands Syrian government forces retreat from positions where Turkey has set up military bases. The President even threatened to hit back at them if they did not submit to a ceasefire.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke over the phone with the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and "condemned the continued indiscriminate airstrikes by the Syrian regime and its backer Russia in Idlib province".
The US State Department issued a report: "We stand by our NATO ally Turkey and continue to call for an immediate end to this despicable offensive by the Assad regime, Russia and Iranian-backed forces. We are looking at options on how we can best support Turkey in this crisis"
By Beka Alexishvili