Towards a new conflict between Syrian and Turkish forces

Text by: RFI Follow

For the second time in a week, Bashar al-Assad's troops killed Turkish soldiers on Monday February 10 near Idleb, in northwestern Syria, and increases the risk of a new conflict between Syrian forces and Turkish forces. In parallel, Damascus and its allies continue their offensive against the jihadists and the rebels, which has made about 700,000 displaced since December according to the UN.

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Ghost towns completely emptied of their population : the Syrian war machine crushes everything in its path, aiming to reconquer the province of Idleb - currently controlled by jihadists and rebels.

Four million civilians are piling up in Idleb, many of whom find themselves in the midst of fighting, air strikes and artillery fire. Without choice, they must flee, explains Fadi el-Maari, activist of the Syrian opposition.

" This is the second time that these populations have been displaced, many here in Idlib are from Ghouta in the south of the country ," he explains. And after having fled for the first time a few years ago, they are now seeking to find new refuge near the Turkish border or in territories controlled by the Turkish army in the north of the country. "

Turkey, close to the rebels , controls a large swath of Syrian territory in the North. It also has twelve military observation posts in the province of Idleb. But Damascus obviously wants to end this presence according to Fadi el-Maari.

" Here, everything suggests that a new conflict will oppose the forces of the regime on one side, and the Turks and the rebels on the other," he believes . We hear the drums of war . "

For the second time in a week, Bashar al-Assad's troops shot at Turkish soldiers . Ankara has already strengthened its presence in the region and deployed its special forces.

■ Ankara counts its dead

At least five Turkish soldiers were killed on Monday by artillery fire from the Bashar al-Assad regime in north-western Syria on Monday, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry. Five soldiers were also wounded in the shootings, which targeted Turkish positions in the province of Idleb, which has been subjected for months to a deadly offensive by the Damascus regime. Last week, eight Turkish military personnel had already been killed in Idleb, causing escalating tensions between Ankara and Damascus.

With our correspondent in Istanbul, Anne Andlauer

The attack took place near the Taftanaz air base, in one of the areas where the Turkish army had recently increased its presence in an attempt to counter the Syrian regime's offensive on Idleb.

Since the beginning of February, more than 1,200 military vehicles, including tanks and soldiers, have crossed the Turkish-Syrian border to enter Idleb. Their mission: to fortify the twelve Turkish observation posts in this province, and to establish new lines of defense. This unprecedented deployment of forces - since it would surpass the means deployed by the Turkish army during its three previous offensives in Syrian territory - comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued an ultimatum to Bashar last week. -Assad: withdraw its troops from the vicinity of Turkish military posts in Idleb by the end of February, or confront an operation by the Turkish army.

Whether the Syrian regime - and its Russian ally - wanted to test the limits of Ankara, or whether they are seeking to provoke a confrontation, this new incident signals that the risk of a conflict between the Turkish and Syrian armies in Idleb is more and more likely. Unless a compromise with Moscow lowers the tension. The death of Turkish soldiers was also announced while a Russian delegation was in Ankara to discuss the fate of Idleb. The meeting ended without results.

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• Turkey
• Syria
• Bashar al-Assad

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