Turkey says troops move into Syria's Idlib province

Turkey's military says Turkish troops have moved into Idlib province as part of an operation to enforce a "de-escalation" zone
Monday, 09 October 2017 18:17

The Turkish Armed Forces have begun a reconnaissance operation in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, the country's General Staff said in a statement obtained.

"In line with agreements reached in Astana on the establishment of a de-escalation zone in the area of Idlib, the Armed Forces of Turkey as one of the guarantor countries began a reconnaissance operation on October 8 to establish observation posts to monitor the truce," the statement said.

The statement did not say how many troops were involved, but added the force would create "observation points" in the region.

On Sunday, the reports said Turkish forces were escorted by al-Qaida-linked militants to Darat al-Ezzah area, which is only miles from Afrin, a Kurdish dominated enclave in western Syria. There was no Turkish army comment on the reports. It was not immediately clear why or how there was an escort by al-Qaida-linked militants.