ANKARA – The tensions between Turkey and Syria intensifies as Turkish and Syrian troops, on Monday, traded fire in northwest Syria. With more than 20 reported dead, further raising tension between Ankara and regime ally Moscow over the rebel enclave in war-torn Idlib.
Russian air strikes also killed 14 civilians in the same area. Meanwhile, a government offensive has caused one of the worst displacement of the nine-year-old Syrian conflict. The tit-for-tat shelling between Turkish and Russian-backed Syrian forces was the deadliest since Turkey deployed troops in Syria in 2016 and escalated tensions between the conflict’s two top foreign protagonists.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered rare criticism of Russia last week, accusing it of “not honouring” agreements to prevent a regime offensive on rebel-held Idlib. The overnight clash began with regime shelling of Turkish positions in Idlib. This was hours after a Turkish military convoy of at least 240 vehicles entered northwest Syria. The attack killed five soldiers and three Turkish civilians, Turkey’s defence ministry said.
The Russian defence ministry said Ankara had failed to give prior warning of its troop movements. Retaliatory rocket attacks by Ankara on regime positions later killed at least 13 Syrian troops and wounded 20 others. These attacks were targeted in Idlib and neighbouring Hama and Latakia provinces.
Speaking to reporters at an Istanbul airport before leaving for Ukraine, Erdogan said the counterattack that had targeted 40 locations. He called on regime ally Russia to assume its “obligations” under previously signed agreements.