Turkey "strongly" condemned the attack by Russian and Syrian aircraft on a military convoy on Monday (August 19th), which it sent to Idleb province in northwestern Syria. "We strongly condemn this attack which is in contradiction with existing agreements, cooperation and dialogue with Russia," said the Defense Ministry in a statement.
The attack caused the death of three civilians and left 12 wounded, adds the ministry, without specifying the nationality of the victims.
An AFP correspondent on Monday morning saw a convoy of about 50 military vehicles, including armored vehicles, with at least five tanks, and troop carriers, heading towards Maaret al-Noomane, a town located 15 kilometers away. kilometers north of Khan Sheikhoun in southern Idleb Province.
The arrival of this convoy came the day after Bashar al-Assad's regime entered the city of Khan Cheikhoun, for the first time since 2014, after several days of progress on the ground at the expense of jihadists and some rebel groups backed by Ankara.
Russia had been informed of the shipment of this convoy, according to Ankara
Russian and Syrian air raids were carried out near the Turkish convoy to prevent it from continuing, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), which also reported a Russian raid against a van belonging to the rebel groups - it preceded the Turkish convoy to inspect the way around Maaret al-Noomane.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, Russia had been informed upstream of the dispatch of these vehicles which were to supply one of the observation posts established by Turkey in Idleb under agreements concluded with Moscow.
"Despite repeated warnings to Russia, military operations by regime forces continue in Idleb, in violation of existing memoranda and agreements with Russia," the ministry said in its statement.
The Idleb region is supposed to be protected by an agreement on a "demilitarized zone", concluded in September 2018 by Ankara, godfather of the rebels, and Moscow. But this agreement was only partially implemented, the jihadists having refused to withdraw.
With AFP