At least 35 Turkish army officers and soldiers have been killed in joint Russian-Syrian air strikes. There have also been direct clashes between the Syrian army and Turkish forces in Idlib over the past 3 days. Some Turkish sites, including the DemokraticPress, have put the number of Turkish military fatalities at 150, in the fiercest showdown so far between the two sides.

Fighting Intensified Ahead of Erdogan’s Deadline

The violence surged as the deadline set by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expired on Saturday night. Erdogan demanded that Syrian troops pull back from vast sways of land the SAA has conquered in its major offensive in Idlib by that time. The Syrian army has liberated over 175 towns, villages and strategic hills in recent weeks and reopened the main M4 Damascus-Aleppo highway.

Heavy Losses Stir Turkish Resentment Against Erdogan’s Military Adventurism

The highest number of Turkish military fatalities in the war so far took place when Syrian and Russian jets pounded terror bases in Bailoun, Idlib on Monday night. Turkish forces were apparently mingling with rebel fighters in the area. The incident has sent strong shock waves across Erdogan’s circles and Turkey at large. The Turkish army responded with extensive drone and rocket attacks against SAA positions, including a first-of-a-kind Turkish attack on major military targets in Aleppo, killing some 40 Syrian officers and troops. Syrian air defense systems shot down a Turkish drone and most of the incoming missiles.

Reports coming from Idlib confirm that there were some of the most veracious direct clashes between SAA forces and their allied factions on the one side, and Turkish troops and their proxy militias on the other. Under the 2018 Sochi agreement between Erdogan and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, Turkey maintains some 13 observation posts in Syria intended to oversee adherence to the ceasefire deal.

However, those posts have become a safe haven for terrorists’ support and a springboard for recurrent attacks on Syrian civilian areas as well as military positions. Most of these Turkish outposts have become isolated and surrounded by Syrian army forces. The Russian President and his top officials have reiterated that any Turkish force or troops that venture out of the parameters of these outposts will render themselves as legitimate targets for attack.

Balance-Tipping Battle Rages On With Neither Side Prepared to Accept  Defeat

With direct Turkish military support, Erdogan’s proxy fighters have managed to score some limited successes over the past three days by retaking Saraqib which straddles along the M4 highway to Aleppo, and Nayrab which lies on the M5 from Aleppo to the Mediterranean city of Latakia. The forsaken town has become a killing field for terrorists who lost hundreds of their fighters in the suicidal offensive there. Conflicting reports about who controls what in the area keep flooding in, as the Syrian army launched a large-scale counter attack aided by Russian missile boats firing a barrage of Kalibr-NK terrain missiles with pinpoint accuracy against key targets in Idlib’s strategic Jabal al Zawiya.

After a series of fruitless Russian-Turkish military and security meetings held over the past two weeks in Ankara and Moscow, the two sides have just announced an agreement to reduce tension in Idlib; a step too little too late as many Syrians believe, given the scale of deep Turkish military involvement in the Syrian war. Despite desperate efforts to avoid any direct military showdown between the Syrian and Turkish armies, this week’s developments reflect that this is exactly what is going on. A bone-breaking battle has just started between the two neighbors.

The Idlib scene seems set for a major military escalation that could threaten stability and security in the region and far beyond, unless Putin succeeds in calming down Erdogan. Turkey’s leader is deeply sinking into the Syrian as well as the Libyan quagmires and there is a disappearing lifeline rope that the Turkish Don Quixote badly needs to grab, quickly, if he wants to climb down the burning tree in Syria before things get worse.

L'articolo Hundreds Of Turkish Soldiers Killed And Injured In Syria proviene da InsideOver.

After Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s soldiers attacked Turkish positions in Syria, Ankara retaliated quickly, followed by a threat from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Syrian Army Killed Turkish Soldiers: Ankara

The Syrian army killed four Turkish soldiers as it advanced to the last major rebel stronghold in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, according to the Turkish government in Ankara. Nine others were injured, one of them seriously, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Monday.

Turkish troops reacted to the attack and destroyed several targets in Idlib. 30 to 35 Syrian soldiers are said to have been “incapacitated,” according to remarks by President Erdogan prior to his trip to Ukraine. It was initially unclear whether these were government soldiers.

Erdogan: ‘We Will Continue To Ask For An Account Of This’

It was not possible to leave such an attack unanswered. “We will continue to ask for an account of this.” To Russia, Erdogan warned: “You should not stand in our way.”

Assad’s forces⁠—supported by Russia⁠—attacked the area despite reportedly having been previously warned of the positions of the Turkish forces. Assad’s forces are advancing with the support of the Russian Air Force and have already taken over dozens of locations, including the important city of Maarat al-Numan. The recent offensive by government forces is driving hundreds of thousands of people to flee. Turkey, which has already taken in 3.6 million Syrians, fears a further influx of refugees from the neighboring country in the south.

Erdogan Threatens Turkish Deployment

Erdogan has threatened a military offensive in northwest Syria if the situation in Idlib was not immediately resolved. “We will do what is necessary when someone threatens our territory,” he said on Friday, noting that this provision includes the possible use of force.

Turkey has twelve observation posts in the Idlib region. The soldiers are said to be keeping a ceasefire in several of the rebel-held areas that have been agreed upon. The Syrian government has accused Turkey of undermining Syrian security by allowing thousands of foreign fighters to fight the Syrian military.

Russia’s Reaction To The Attack On Turkish Troops

The Russian military announced on Monday that the Turkish side had not informed the Russians of their movements and, as a result, came under fire from the Syrian government troops who are targeting⁠—by their accounts⁠—terrorists west of Sarakib in the Idlib province. A lack of communication is thus one explanation for the attack on the Turkish convoy.

A second explanation is that the attack could be a message from Russia to Turkey to stay outside its borders. However, given the relationship Moscow and Ankara have established over the previous year, in particular, it seems inconceivable that Russian President Vladimir Putin would risk jeopardizing the latter by conducting a military operation against Turkey in Syria at this point.

The Importance Of Idlib

Idlib is the last major rebel area after nine years of civil war. Turkey maintains twelve observation posts there, which are supposed to monitor a ceasefire. They were established on the basis of an agreement between Russia⁠—Assad’s main ally⁠—and Turkey in September 2018.

Idlib is controlled by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militia, which is similar to Al Qaeda. Syria and Russia argue that their attacks are against terrorists, and the violence caused by military actions in the province had increased significantly as of late. Even the ceasefire proclaimed by Russia three weeks ago has so far not stopped the violence. Moreover, the latest development displays how volatile the situation remains. Turkey adding another layer of complexity to the conflict by its sheer presence was highly likely, however, few had expected the situation to escalate this rapidly.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people are on the run from Syria. Turkey⁠— which has already taken in nearly four million Syrians⁠—fears that the situation on its border will result in yet another influx of refugees.

L'articolo Turkey’s Retaliation Kills Up To Thirty-Five Syrian Soldiers proviene da InsideOver.