ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Clashes between Turkey and regime forces in northwest Syria show no sign of abating as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Ankara will “strike back against regime forces everywhere” if its troops are targeted.
“In case our soldiers at observation points suffer in any way...I hereby declare we will strike back against regime forces everywhere. We will not forgive even the slightest violation,” he told an audience at a meeting of the country’s ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) in Ankara.
Turkey has twelve observation posts in the northern province of Idlib, some of which are now surrounded by Syrian regime forces.
Erdogan warned yesterday of further attacks against government troops following the death of five additional Turkish soldiers in Idlib, which came a week after a number of its troops and a civilian contractor were killed in regime shelling.
“The Assad regime was dealt a resounding blow, especially in Idlib, but that is not enough. There is more to come,” he said on Tuesday.
Erdogan threatened further action against government forces in his Monday address, noting that 14 Turkish soldiers have been killed in recent attacks.
“We will do whatever necessary on land and in air without hesitation…without waiting for the results of endless meetings,” he added.
A Russian delegation visited Ankara at the weekend to discuss the ongoing violence in Idlib. Moscow has been a staunch supporter of the Syrian regime, providing air support against opposition forces since 2015.
Ankara-Damascus relations have reached boiling point in recent weeks as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad battles to regain control of Idlib province, the last remaining rebel bastion in the country pummeled by war over the last nine years.
Airstrikes have also devastated the neighbouring province of Aleppo, under opposition control.
Receiving applause at the AKP meeting in Ankara, Erdogan blasted foreign actors turning a “blind eye” to the crisis, reiterating his frequent adage that Turkey will not remain a “mere spectator” in Syria.
“We have tried to manage the process with the least intervention but promises made to us are not kept and agreements are not adhered to,” the Turkish president added, referring to the Sochi and Astana agreements designed to end the violence in the northwest.
Turkey remains dedicated to pushing regime forces away from observation posts by the end of February, he added.
Erdogan linked the ongoing struggle in Idlib to the security of his own country in a bid to appeal to fellow politicians, urging support from other parliamentary factions.
“The freedom struggle of the Syrian people is the struggle for survival of 83 million citizens of Turkey,” he said, adding that the “security and stability” of his country is threatened by groups propping up the regime in Damascus.
Supporting the Syrian people is a “historical, moral and humanitarian responsibility”, he added, claiming that “peace prevails” in areas under Turkish control.
Turkish action has been galvanized by fears of a further refugee influx, with hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing for the border in recent weeks. Current UN estimates put the number of displaced at 700,000 since December.
Turkey is home to just under four million Syrian refugees, the largest share of any country. Ankara has insisted on resettling Syrian refugees in the ‘safe zone’ created as a result of Operation Peace Spring in October 2019, which cleared parts of the Turkish-Syrian border of Kurdish forces.
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