Turkish forces are seen near Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
On September 10, the Turkish military deployed reinforcements in the northwestern Syria region of Greater Idlib, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The London-based monitoring group reported that 20 Turkish military vehicles carrying logistic supplies and military equipment entered the region through the Kafr Lusin border crossing and headed towards the southern countryside of Idlib.
“The convoy headed in the directions of al-Bara and Kansafra in the southern Idlib countryside, to reinforce [Turkish] positions there,” the group’s report said.
The Turkish military has maintained dozens of positions across Greater Idlib since 2020 to supposedly monitor a ceasefire brokered by Russia.
The deployment of reinforcements in Greater Idlib came following a fierce round of clashes between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-facto ruler of the region.
On August 26, a tunnel bombing targeted a position of the SAA near the town of Milaja in the southern Idlib countryside. Some 11 soldiers were killed in the attack and a subsequent raid. Later on September 1, at least 16 soldiers were killed in a raid that targeted an army position near al-Sarraf town in the northern Lattakia countryside.
The SAA and the Russian Aerospace Forces responded to these violations with a series of strikes. The Syrian Ministry of Defense said on September 9 that a total of 111 militants were killed and more than 80 others were wounded.
Turkey does not reinforce the ceasefire or intervene in the activities of HTS and its allies. The real purpose of its military presence in Greater Idlib is to prevent the SAA and its allies from resuming ground operations in the region.
For around a year now, Turkey and Syria have been in talks to restore relations. The normalization process slowed down following demands by Damascus for a complete Turkish withdrawal from Syrian territory.
By deploying additional reinforcements in Greater Idlib, Turkey sends a message that a normalization agreement with Syria is still feasible.
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je čas poriadne poštvať turkov proti teroristom z usa!!!
kill the occupation turkys !!! no more turky = no more terrorists. no more yankees = no more isis. and shoot every zionist parasite out off the sky !!!
take it easy speedy gonzales too much tequila again