ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Five Turkish soldiers and one civilian were killed in shelling in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province on Monday, Turkey’s Defense Ministry has said.
Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu Agency says Syrian government forces were behind the attack, which took place 2km east of Saraqib in the early hours of Monday morning.
Initial reports placed the death toll at four soldiers, which was revised after two victims succumbed to their injuries in hospital. One of the dead was employed by the Turkey's Defense Ministry.
Turkish forces launched an “immediate response” and will “continue to take security measures in that area,” according to a statement provided by the ministry.
Speaking to reporters before departing for Ukraine, Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan said 30-35 Syrian regime soldiers were killed in retaliation for the attack, and warned Russia to “not get in the way” of any Turkish response to the incident.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced from the province as the Syrian regime battles to regain control of the last rebel-held bastion in the country. The city of Maaret al-Numan, 32 kilometers south of Idlib city, was central to the Syrian uprising which began in 2011, and was retaken by government forces last week after weeks of bombardment.
Turkey announced on January 10 a new ceasefire in the province. On January 12, however, Syrian regime forces backed by Iran and Russia continued their attack on areas surrounding Idlib city.
An estimated 120,000 people have been displaced across the province in the last two weeks alone.
Ibrahim Kalin, spokesperson and special advisor to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the killing of the Turkish soldiers "flies in the face" of the Idlib agreement.
“The blood of our soldiers won’t stay on the ground, those who did this must pay,” he tweeted.
Erdogan has recently threatened that Ankara would not be a "mere spectator" in events taking place across the border.
“We will not allow the regime’s cruelty towards its people, which is attacking and causing bloodshed,” he said at a meeting with ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) provincial heads on Friday.
"Turkey in complete sincerity wants Syria’s stability and security, and to this end, we will not shy away from doing whatever is necessary including using military force,” he added.
Turkey is “determined” to continue operations in Syria, the president told reporters on Monday.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Sunday that 320 Turkish trucks and military vehicles entered Aleppo and Idlib provinces on the same day, a "significant escalation" against the Russians, with whom they signed de-escalation agreements in 2017 and 2018.
Turkey's NTV reported that Monday's scheduled joint patrol with Russia in Kobane did not take place as a result of the attack on the Turkish outpost.
Turkey has twelve observation posts in Syria, four of which have been surrounded by regime forces. Two are in Idlib, one in Aleppo and another in Hama governorate.
This is a developing story....
Updated 3:33 pm
