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On February 5th, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the Syrian Arab Army to retreat from all Turkish observation posts, otherwise Ankara would be forced “to do it itself.”
“If the Syrian regime will not retreat from Turkish observation posts in Idlib in February, Turkey itself will be obliged to make this happen,” he said.
“Turkey’s air and land forces will move freely in all operation areas [in Syria] and in Idlib, and they will conduct operations if needed,” he added.
In other words, the Turkish president threatened to declare a war on Syria if the Syrian Army does not withdraw from the territory liberated from terrorists.
According to him, Syrian government forces are violating the ceasefire in Idlib, after an attack that killed 7 Turkish soldiers on February 3rd, he made no mention of the attacks by the Turkish forces on the Syrian Arab Army.
“The attack on our soldiers the day before yesterday was a turning point in Syria for Turkey,” he said.
He claimed that any attack on Turkish forces, or their allies, such as the Turkish-backed militants would be met with a retaliation, without warning.
In its military operations, “Turkey’s main principle is not to hurt lives or the property of innocent people,” he said.
Regarding the Russian support of the Syrian Arab Army, Erdogan said that he hoped Moscow understood “Turkey’s sensitivities” for Idlib.
Turkey has complained of the continued attacks and urged Russia to rein in its ally in the face of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and stop the bloodshed.
According to Turkey’s propaganda, Idlib has been a stronghold of opposition and moderate anti-government armed groups since the outbreak of the “Syrian civil war” in 2011.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu further made a statement saying that Russia could, in fact, control the actions of the Syrian Arab Army and that statements that it couldn’t were false.
Cavusoglu noted that Ankara and Moscow are making efforts to stop the aggressive actions of the Syrian Arab Army, despite Russia actively airstriking the “moderate rebels.”
A lot in this matter depends on the Russian side, the Turkish Foreign Minister stressed.
According to him, the Astana and Sochi processes have not yet completely fallen apart, but are seriously undermined.
He also stressed that Ankara does not intend to ignore the shelling of its observers in Idlib.
“The Turkish armed forces retaliated in response to shelling and will continue to do so,” the minister said.
The US also quickly came to assist the democratic opposition nested in Idlib. The Facebook page of the US Embassy in Damascus, an institution that is not even located in Syria, posted a statement by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and even changed it’s cover image to a white “IDLIB” on a black background.
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https://www.facebook.com/syria.usembassy/posts/10157869777602649?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARAxC7yMANlD6pJI_MC1wL7qgCZo4S-I029-lgbWf-kRe1bysqwcAHZc0kTVWubnV1g-Yn_8Q-Qgc4LIyCo7T_j7EV8i8PudkZ6dvjsS1ddwhwFUjKStnGLGEHpZi0OSS91irWE0RZnX51EZCr0KpESX0ae7c0uBOL0bWlb2AezjSHA2CSPXg7C2lzosZing4p0IEBDrN1DKjC0EvLQfVicPnc8OiY4C3XQQwjvUop_HN37r2B9zjOOOd_3eA-2cps6zwWync5I4SEhmDBBQMSdHDxo7MSFe7fHai9yeBQUtbhmIHf8Gmay0zT6b2eIWLTw75arY-FWsHg&__tn__=-R
The US has given few statements regarding what is taking place in Idlib; however, it appears that it is planning to begin being more proactive.
A UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East and specifically Syria will take place on February 5th. The US, UK and France called for the meeting, and it is coming amidst reports that a false flag chemical attack, with the assistance of the White Helmets “rescue organization” is about to take place.
It should be reminded that the US, UK and France have, more than once, directly bombarded Syria in response to alleged chemical attacks. It appears that the Syrian Arab Army, together with Russian support are edging too close to finally defeating the “pan-democrats” in northeastern Syria Som they require some support from the Forces of Democracy.
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