In the aftermath of harsh criticism from Moscow against Ankara, Turkey threatened on Thursday February 13th to strike the jihadists in Idleb in Syria if they do not respect a cease-fire supposed to put an end to the fighting in this rebel province. "Force will be used in Idleb against those who do not respect the cease-fire, including the radicals," said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, quoted by the state-run news agency Anadolu. "We will send additional units to re-establish the ceasefire and make sure it continues," added Hulusi Akar.

Turkey and Russia, which sponsor a process supposed to end the fighting in Idleb, have repeatedly announced the establishment of cease-fires in this province in north-west Syria, but none has held .

voltages

Despite an de-escalation agreement between Ankara and Moscow, the Syrian regime has been carrying out an offensive for several months, with the support of the Russian air force, in the province of Idleb controlled by rebel groups and jihadists, in particular the al Qaeda branch in Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), the Syrian army, which has seized new villages and localities in western Aleppo province, has displaced nearly 700,000 people since December, l largest exodus in almost nine years of war.

The intensification in recent weeks of the bombings in Idleb gave rise on Wednesday to tense exchanges between Ankara, which supports rebel groups, and Moscow, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Moscow of taking part in the "massacre" of civilians alongside regime forces in Idleb. For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov retaliated by accusing Turkey of doing nothing to "neutralize the terrorists in Idleb", a situation he deemed "unacceptable".

In this context, the chief of staff of the Turkish armed forces, General Yasar Guler, spoke on the telephone Thursday with his Russian counterpart, General Valeri Guerassimov, of the situation in Idleb, announced the Turkish army. on Twitter.

Ankara is concerned about the situation in this region due to its proximity to the Turkish border, fearing that the offensive of the Syrian regime will cause a new influx of refugees to Turkey, which already hosts 3.7 million Syrians.

American support

While the Idleb crisis is straining relations between Turkey and Russia, the United States has given strong support to the Turkish authorities. The United States Special Representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, held talks with several Turkish officials in Ankara on Wednesday.

In statements released Thursday by the US Embassy on his Twitter account, James Jeffrey said Washington was "in total agreement with Turkey" regarding its presence in Syria "to defend its vital interests in the face of the influx of refugees and to fight terrorism. "

"We understand and support the legitimate Turkish concerns justifying the presence of Turkish forces in Syria and in particular in Idleb," he added, attacking the "regime of President Assad who committed war crimes".
He also said that the Syrian regime and its Russian and Iranian allies should realize that "they will not be able to achieve a military victory" in Syria.

"When Russia, Iran and Assad find that they cannot progress further without coming into conflict with us or with Turkey, they will realize that it is time to return to the negotiating table in Geneva to resolve this conflict through diplomatic means, "he said.

With AFP

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