Turkey strikes back at Syria following deadly shelling in Idlib

Nearly 700,000 people displaced in two months as fragile ceasefire collapses

ANKARA, TURKEY— Turkey said it retaliated Monday after “intense” shelling by Syrian forces killed five of its soldiers and wounded five others in Syria’s northern Idli b province, a marked escalation a week after a similarly deadly clash between the two sides.

The exchange of fire came as a Russian delegation held a second round of talks in the Turkish capital of Ankara to discuss the fighting in Syria’s Idlib province, which has uprooted more than a half-million people in the past two months. No immediate statement was issued at the end of the talks.

The fighting in Idlib led to the collapse of a fragile ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia in 2018. Turkey supports the Syrian rebels, while Russia heavily backs the Syrian government’s campaign to retake the area, which is the last rebel stronghold in Syria.

A UN official said the number of people displaced by the violence since Dec. 1 reached nearly 700,000, up from 600,000.

“This could well prove to be the largest number of people displaced in a single period since the Syrian crisis began almost nine years ago,” UN regional spokesperson David Swanson said, reiterating the call for an immediate truce.

The fighting has led Turkey to send hundreds of military vehicles and troops into Idlib province in the past week, bringing both countries’ forces into direct confrontation, which has been rare in the Syrian conflict.

Eight Turkish military and civilian personnel and 13 Syrian soldiers were killed in a clash in the province last week. Turkey has warned Syria to retreat to the ceasefire lines that were agreed upon in 2018.

In reporting the death of five of its troops and wounding five others, a Turkish Defence Ministry statement said Turkish artillery immediately responded to the attack by Syrian government forces, destroying targets. The statement added that the troops that were attacked on Monday were reinforcements sent to Idlib.

Fighting has led Turkey to send hundreds of military vehicles and troops into Idlib province in the past week

“Our fire support vehicles immediately fired on the targets with intensity and the necessary response was given,” the ministry said. The statement did not say where the attack took place, but news reports said it was at Taftanaz, where Turkish troops were allegedly trying to set up a base.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group, gave a higher casualty toll, reporting that six Turkish soldiers were killed and seven were wounded in the Syrian government shelling at the Taftanaz airbase. It added that four Syrian rebels were also killed in the shelling.

Most of the displaced are living in open-air shelters and temporary homes in freezing weather conditions near the Turkish border. Half of the displaced are believed to be children.

Omer Celik, the spokesperson for Turkey’s ruling-party, said it was out of the question for the Turkish troops to vacate the observation posts in Idlib, adding that Turkey would continue to respond to “systematic” Syrian government attacks.

Celik also said Turkish troops would continue trying to ensure that Syrian government forces withdraw to previous positions. “The Turkish will carry out the necessary work to ensure that the (Syrian) regime retreat from the line it has violated with the aggression.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkish and Russian delegations exchanged proposals over the situation in Idlib during a first meeting in Ankara on Saturday. The Russian team returned to Ankara on Monday from a visit to Jordan for further discussions, he said.

“If a compromise had been reached, there would have been no need for today’s meeting,” Cavusoglu told reporters. He said the Turkish and Russian leaders could step in if no compromise is reached.

Syria’s military has vowed to continue its campaign. The Syrian government’s campaign appears to be aimed at securing a strategic highway in rebel-controlled territory for now, rather than seizing the entire province and its densely populated capital, Idlib.