Iran Press/Middle East: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday in a televised speech said that Turkey has been retaliating against the Syrian forces' attack on its soldiers in the northern Syrian region of Idlib.
According to Erdogan, Turkish Army artillery and F-16 warplanes targeted about 40 spots and around '30 to 35 Syrians on the opposite side' have been killed in the attack.
Six Turkish soldiers were killed and nine others wounded in an intense artillery shooting by Syrian forces in Idlib, the last stronghold of terrorists in Syria, the Turkish defence ministry said earlier in the day.
The exchange, which came hours after a large Turkish military convoy entered the northwestern province of Idlib, the last terrorist stronghold in Syria, is likely to further increase tensions between the two neighbouring countries as such direct clashes have been rare.
The alleged attack came after Turkey beefed up its presence in the region and warned of a military offensive if the ongoing operation by Syrian government forces against foreign-backed Takfiri militants continue.
“Units of the Turkish military conducted movement within the Idlib de-escalation zone during the nighttime from February 2 to February 3 without informing the Russian side and came under fire by Syrian government forces, who were targeting terrorists west of Saraqib,” the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said on Monday.
The statement stressed that there are established lines of communication between Russian forces in Syria and the Turkish command. It added that Turkish aircraft did not enter the Syrian airspace after the incident, contrary to some reports in the Turkish media, which said Ankara ordered airstrikes at Syrian positions in retaliation for the shelling.
Meanwhile, Turkish media have reported that the Turkish Army is preparing to attack the Syrian Forces at Saraqib, east of Idlib.
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Syria's Idlib: 4 Turkish soldiers killed, 9 wounded
