Two more Turkish soldiers died and six injured in an attack carried out by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in Idlib, the northwestern province of Syria, where the direct clashes between the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Syrian government forces have escalated since an airstrike killed 36 Turkish troops backing jihadists in the region on Feb. 27.
‘‘Two of our hero brothers in arms were martyred and six were injured as a result of the fire opened by the Syrian regime elements to our members in Operation Spring Shield area. The enemy targets detected in the region were immediately covered with fire and our forces will continue to strike the targets,’’ Turkey’s Ministry of National Defence said in its statement on Wed.
Hulusi Akar, Turkish Minister of National Defence, had announced on March 1 that Ankara had launched its ‘‘Operation Spring Shield’’ in retaliation to an airstrike carried out by Syrian government forces that killed 36 Turkish soldiers in Idlib on Feb 27.
The announcement made by the Minister came after Turkey and its jihadist allies shot down two Syrian Air Force Su-24 fighter jets over Idlib, following Syria targeted and downed a Turkish drone over the region.
The death toll among the Turkish troops since early February has increased to 59 with the recent losses of the Turkish army.
On March 3, Turkey’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar had informed that one Turkish soldier was killed and nine others were wounded in attacks in Idlib.
‘‘3,138 regime fighters and soldiers were eliminated since the start of Turkey’s Operation Spring Shield.’’ the Ministry of National Defence also claimed in its statement on March 4, adding that the Syrian government forces lost three fighter jets, eight helicopters, three UAVs, 151 tanks, 47 howitzers, 52 rocket launchers, 12 antitank weapons, four mortars, 10 arsenal depots and 145 military, technical and combat vehicles following the TAF’s new offensive in the region.
RUSSIA: ‘TURKEY’S ACTS IN IDLIB VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL LAW’
Accusing Turkey of failing to meet its obligations under the Sochi agreement signed between Moscow and Ankara in Sep. 2018 to create a demilitarized zone in Idlib, Russian Defence Ministry Spokesperson Igor Konashenkov stated earlier Wednesday that ‘‘Turkey’s observation posts in the region were located in ‘‘the fortified areas of terrorist groups and practically merged with them, resulting in daily attacks on Russia’s Hmeimim airbase in Syria.’’
Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov noted that Turkey’s military deployment in Idlib is an ‘‘open violation of international law,” adding that the Western countries prefer to turn a blind eye to the Turkish government’s violations in Syria.
‘‘Under the 2018 agreement with Russia, Ankara was obliged to ensure that militants in Idlib pull 10-12 miles away from the de-escalation zone, along with their heavy weapons. Instead of those al-Qaida-affiliated militants and other terrorist groups pushed moderate rebels north toward the border with Turkey,’’ Konashenkov underlined.
The accusation of the Russian Defence Ministry Spokesperson came on the eve of the planned talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on March 5 in Moscow to attempt to de-escalate the rising tensions in Idlib that may dangerously lead a direct military confrontation between Russia and Turkey.
TOP U.S. OFFICIALS VISITED TURKEY AND HTS-CONTROLLED BORDER ZONE IN SYRIA, ANNOUNCED $108M OF NEW AID
Meanwhile, Kelly Craft, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and James Jeffrey, the U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement, paid a visit to Bab al-Hawa, a border crossing region in Idlib governorate, located in Turkish-Syrian border, under control of al-Qaeda affiliated jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on March 3.
Kelly Craft held talks with ‘‘some officials’’ and the White Helmets, a Western-sponsored pseudo ‘NGO’ known for its false flag operations against the Syrian government, in this region.
Traveling to Turkey’s southern province of Hatay near the Syrian border after her visit to Idlib, Kraft said, ‘‘I will give the following message when I go back to the UN Security Council: This is enough. A permanent ceasefire has to be achieved in Syria,’’ and added: ‘‘The Assad regime cannot go on in Syria.’’
Stating that she has seen important things during her visit about the fact that the U.S. is ‘‘the final hope of the world’’, Kraft noted, ‘‘To express our continued commitment, today the Trump Administration is announcing an additional $108 million in humanitarian assistance for the people of Syria.’’
Craft also said that there should be a third border gate in the region for the flow of humanitarian assistance, addressing the call of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
James Jeffrey, the U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement and the Former Ambassador to Turkey, told that ‘‘Turkey is a NATO country and uses our equipment in its army to a great extent. If they need, the US is willing to provide ammunition alongside humanitarian assistance to Turkey in Idlib.’’
Signaling the support to Turkey, Jeffrey reminded that Turkey is one of the most important counterparts of the U.S. defense industry and the Trump administration will support Ankara.
