The Turkish army is expanding its deployment in northwest Syria with the goal of encircling a Kurdish enclave and reining in Russian strikes in the Idlib border province under a deal to reduce clashes, militants and witnesses told Reuters on Sunday.
"Nearly 200 troops are now stationed in areas that separate territory under control of Kurdish groups and opposition groups," said Ibrahim al Idlibi, a Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants said.
Witnesses said Turkish bulldozers were working around the clock, digging fortifications and setting up observation posts. A new deployment of Turkish armoured vehicles and personnel arrived along the Syrian border on Saturday, positioned on the Turkish side, witnesses said, Reuters reported.
Turkey says its operations there, along with the Syrian jihadist groups it backs, is part of a deal it reached last month with Russia and Iran in Kazakhstan. Syria on Saturday denounced the Turkish incursion saying it was a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and demanded Ankara pull its troops.
Turkish positions near Samaan castle in the Sheikh Barakat mountains of the fertile, olive-growing province put them just a few kilometres from Kurdish militants forces based in Jendaris, the report said.
"Turkish forces are still in a state of advancing and expanding," Mustafa al Sejari, a Free Syrian Army official, told Reuters.
The Turkish incursion into the province dominated by the jihadist group Tahrir al-Sham, whose backbone is ex-Nusra Front, Syria's former al Qaeda offshoot, has run smoothly, the report added.
