Turkey intends to drive Syrian army out of Idlib Province, demands its exit by end of February

Oleg Burunov
Sputnik
Sat, 15 Feb 2020 15:10 UTC

© AP/APTN

Turkey Armed Forces convoy in northern town Sarmada, Idlib Province, February 2, 2020.

Tensions in northern Syria began to escalate earlier this month when Turkey retaliated against the killing of eight Turkish nationals in a shelling which Ankara claims was conducted by Syrian forces on one of Turkey's observation posts in the Arab country's Idlib province.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay told the country's NTV broadcaster on Saturday that Ankara "has fulfilled its responsibilities" in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, in sync with its agreement on de-escalation zones with Moscow and Tehran.

"Some of our [military] observation posts have now fallen into areas controlled by the [Syrian] regime", Oktay added, in an apparent reference to the posts that Turkey established in the province under the trilateral deal.

He also warned that Ankara will use military power to drive the Syrian Army out of Idlib unless it withdraws from the province by the end of February.

"The [Bashar Assad] regime must know this: if attacks on our military continue, Turkey will know no bounds [in its retaliation]. This message was clearly conveyed to Russia."

He spoke after the Russian Defence Ministry blamed the escalation of the situation in Idlib on Turkey's failure to live up to its obligations on Syria.

"The real reason of the crisis in Idlib de-escalation zone is, unfortunately, the failure of our Turkish colleagues to adhere to their commitments on separating moderate opposition fighters from terrorists of Jabhat al-Nusra and Hurras ad-Din [linked to al-Qaeda]."

It pointed to "provocations in Idlib de-escalation zone by the terrorist groups that use 'live shield' against the Syrian government forces".

The Ministry also said that the situation in Idlib is "exacerbated by the arrival of weapons and ammunition in the de-escalation zone via the Syrian-Turkish border, as well as the arrival of Turkish armoured vehicles and troops" in the area.

The statement came as Syrian government forces increased their efforts to expel militants from Idlib, the only remaining militant stronghold in Syria. At the same time, the Turkish Defence Ministry reported that the country's military has been conducting retaliatory attacks on Syrian government forces.

Earlier this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the situation in Idlib by emphasising that Damascus had every right to engage in anti-terrorist operations on its own territory.

"This is a matter of fulfilling the Sochi accords [on Idlib de-escalation zone] and the obligations that the parties assumed in accordance with this document. Also, perhaps first and foremost, we're talking about the fight against terrorism that the Syrian Armed Forces are waging on the territory of their country."

Tensions in Northern Syria on Increase

He made the remarks amid escalating tensions in northern Syria which started to worsen earlier this month, when the shelling, which Ankara argued was conducted by Syrian forces on one of Turkey's observation posts in Idlib, claimed the lives of at least eight Turkish nationals. The Syrian government hasn't commented on the claims yet.

Turkish troops responded with an air strike which they claimed killed at least 76 Syrian servicemen.

Idlib remains one of four de-escalation zones created in Syria through the joint efforts of Russia, Iran and Turkey in 2017. The region is believed to contain tens of thousands of terrorist militants, as well as hundreds of thousands of civilians. Late last year, the Syrian Army began an operation in the area after militants' repeated attacks on Syrian Army positions claimed the lives of dozens of servicemen.

Comment: Erdogan says the Syrians don't even have that long: they need to leave immediately - otherwise Turkey will invade the Syrian province.

"Until the regime's [Syrian government] forces pull out beyond the borders [of the Idlib de-escalation zone] outlined in the Sochi agreement, the problem will not be solved. If they do not leave, we will do this work without waiting until the end of February," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul, broadcast by the NTV channel.

Spoken like a true gobshite! Turkey continues to support terrorists in Idlib (allegedly, but it's pretty likely - they've been doing it for years):

According to the source, who asked to remain unidentified, Syria's Idlib de-escalation zone now contains over 70 Turkish-sourced tanks, about 200 armoured vehicles and 80 pieces of artillery.

The source said that Turkish armoured vehicles, poorly driven by their untrained terrorist crews, are being spotted more and more often by the Syrian Army. "In the last week alone, government forces repelling attacks by militants destroyed over 20 Turkish-supplied tanks and infantry fighting vehicles," the source said.

The source also indicated that US-made MANPAD air defence systems being used by terrorists in Idlib were sourced from Turkish military stocks. "The US MANPADS which were in service with the Turkish armed forces, which the militants did not have access to before, fell into the hands of the terrorists thanks to Turkish deliveries," the source said.
...
Finally, the source alleged that Ankara is continuing to transfer personnel, weapons and equipment into Idlib, despite Ankara's statements about seeking a diplomatic solution to the conflict.