Syria, Turkey forces clash; 10 killed
ANKARA — At least ten were killed as Syria and Turkey exchanged artillery fire in northern Syrian regions, where Turkish forces had set up observation posts while backing a host of rebel groups.
Four Turkish soldiers were killed on Monday by Syrian regime shelling in the northwestern region of Idlib, Turkey’s defense ministry said. Nine other soldiers were wounded, including one seriously, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the soldiers came under attack despite previous coordination on where they would be in the region.
Turkey has 12 observation posts in the region as part of a deal with Russia to prevent a regime offensive.
The deaths come after local media reported on Sunday that Turkey’s military sent reinforcements to the region to bolster the forces stationed at the posts.
The Syrian regime, supported by Russian airstrikes, has intensified its assault in recent weeks against Idlib, the last major opposition bastion.
Turkish forces retaliated and shelled the flash point town of Saraqib, killing six Syrian troops, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It added that 20 Syrian regime fighters were wounded.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called it an “ongoing operation,”claiming that 30 to 35 Syrian forces were killed in the counterattack.
He urged Syrian ally Russia not to stand in the way of Ankara’s response.
Warning
Erdogan last week warned Ankara could use “military force” against Syria if any of its positions in Idlib were threatened by attacks.
The Turkish president also hit out against the “cruelty” of the Damascus regime.
Turkey, which is home to over 3.5 million Syrian refugees, fears another influx from renewed violence in Idlib.
Hundreds of thousands of people have already been displaced in the region, while many of them have fled toward the Turkey-Syria border.
The clash is a rare confrontation between Syrian forces and Turkish soldiers.
It risks a serious escalation in a region that has come under heightened attacks by Damascus and Moscow in recent weeks, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.