33 Turkish soldiers die in Syria’s Idlib: Turkish officials

33 Turkish soldiers were killed and 36 wounded in an airstrike in Idlib province, Turkish officials announced on Feb. 27. The Turkish government has decided to open its southwestern border with Syria for the next 72 hours.
Friday, 28 February 2020 08:37

A series of airstrikes on late Thursday killed at least 33 Turkish soldiers and wounded 36 in the northwestern province of Idlib, Syria, Rahmi Doğan, the Governor of Turkey’s Hatay province located in Syrian border, has announced. The official stated that the airstrikes were launched by the Syrian government forces.

Three Turkish troops had been killed in another airstrike in the region, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had informed earlier Thursday, Feb. 27.

The recent attack has been recorded as the deadliest offensive causing more than two dozens casualties of Turkish soldiers in a day in the province, the last stronghold of the Syrian jihadists backed by Ankara since Turkey first intervened in Syria in 2016.

The latest attack has raised the Turkish military death toll in the region to 54 this month.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg over the phone to discuss the steps that can be taken by Ankara.

Following the phone conversation between the Turkish Foreign Minister and the NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg called for the attacks to cease in Idlib, accusing Syria and Russia of escalating tensions in the region.

There has been no press statement from the Turkish President’s 6-hour-long emergency security meeting organized after the latest attack. Turkey’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun had said in a statement on Friday, ‘‘The summit stressed that the Assad regime is responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of Syrians, and agreed to retaliate against the illegitimate regime which has turned its barrel against our soldiers who are on duty to protect the rights and interests of the Republic of Turkey.’’

Adding that Ankara will continue to put the known targets under fire, Altun also stated, ‘‘With this opportunity, we call on all international community, especially the parties of the Astana Process, to fulfill their responsibilities in order to stop the crimes of the regime committed against the humanity.’’

‘‘Blood of our heroes will not go in vain. Our activities in Syria will continue until hands reaching to our flag are broken,’’ Turkey’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun underlined.

İbrahim Kalın, Turkey’s Presidential Spokesperson, who has a key role in the country’s foreign affairs, also spoke to Robert O’Brien, the U.S. National Security Advisor, after the Syrian government forces attack claiming the lives of at least 33 Turkish soldiers on late Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a London-based war monitoring organization, claimed at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in Syrian airstrikes in Idlib, carried out in a region between the villages of al-Bara and Baliun near the Jabal al-Zawiya located in the southern Idlib countryside.

The Turkish government has sent thousands of troops, heavy military vehicles and ammunition into Idlib to support jihadists fighting against the Syrian government forces and Russian army backing the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) to retake the province where Ankara-backed jihadists’ last stronghold.

Early on Thursday, jihadists led by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) in Idlib had recaptured the strategic town of Saraqeb that was taken over by the SAA three weeks ago.

Saraqeb, the second-largest city after Maaret al-Numan in Idlib, linking two strategically important highways, M4 and M5, with the Syrian capital Damascus, the northern province of Aleppo and the seaport Latakia, has a key role to cut the logistical support of jihadists and to revive the country’s economy.

TURKISH GOV’T OPENS THE GATES TO EUROPE FOR REFUGEES

After 33 Turkish troops killed in the attack, the Turkish government has decided to open its southwestern border with Syria, allowing refugees for free passage to Europe for the next 72 hours, Turkish officials said.

Turkey hosts approximately 3.7 million Syrian refugees, while the European Union has provided billions of euros for ‘humanitarian aid’ in return for the Turkish government agreeing to stop the influx of migrants into Europe under a deal signed in 2016.

U.S. SENATOR GRAHAM CALLS FOR ‘NO-FLY’ ZONE IN IDLIB

Following the airstrike killed at least 33 Turkish soldiers in Idlib, Senior U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham called for the implementation of a ‘‘no-fly zone’’ in the region on Thursday.

Calling the situation in Idlib ‘‘one of the greatest humanitarian disasters in decades’’, Graham said, ‘‘The world is sitting on its hands and watching the destruction of Idlib by Assad, Iran, and the Russians.’’

‘‘I very much appreciate Turkey’s intervention in Idlib. It is now time for the international community to establish a no-fly zone to save thousands of innocent men, women, and children from a horrible death,’’ he continued.

Turkey, Russia, and Iran had held a series of meetings in Astana, Kazakhstan, in 2017 and announced that Idlib and neighboring provinces ─ Eastern Ghouta located in the capital Damascus and southern regions, Daraa and Quneitra ─ would be de-escalation zones.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a demilitarized zone (DMZ) where any acts of aggression would have been expressly prohibited under the Sochi Agreement, providing joint patrols by military forces from Russia and Turkey to prevent possible clashes between the Syrian government forces and militants.

Yet, Russia and Syria last year accused jihadists controlling the area of violating the ceasefire agreement and carrying out attacks against civilians and military positions. Upon the violations of the agreement by Turkey-backed jihadists, especially since the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) emerged as the dominant group in the region last year, Russia and the Syrian army have launched an offensive to retake Idlib in May 2019.

14 Turkish soldiers had been killed and 45 were injured in two separate attacks carried out by Syrian government forces on Feb. 10, 2020.