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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Activists: Turkey beefing up its troops in Syria’s Idlib |
2018-09-14 |
[Rudaw] ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... sent in military reinforcements Thursday to beef up its positions inside Syria’s last rebel bastion Idlib, activists reported, even as the Hulusi Akar, the "We are working with Russia, Iran and other allies to bring peace and stability and to stop a humanitarian tragedy," Akar said, according to Anadolu. The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday a Turkey deployed hundreds of its soldiers to 12 observation posts that ring Idlib, following a de-escalation agreement reached with Russia and Iran last year to freeze the lines of the conflict, effectively placing Ankara as a protector of the province. The rebels have held the Idlib province since 2015 but a government offensive captured chunks on the eastern flanks of the province last year before Turkey began deploying its observation points and halting the advances. In recent weeks, Syrian government forces have been massing to the south and southwest of the province, and in recent days launched an intense aerial bombing campaign targeting rebel positions, three medical centers and rescue workers last week. But the bombing has let up in the last 24 hours. Turkey has appealed for a cease-fire in Idlib, which straddles its borders and is home to more than 3 million people. It is seeking to gain time to support its efforts, it said, to separate radical bully boyz from moderate opposition groups it backs. Turkey has appealed for international support to its efforts to halt an offensive. The US warned Russia Wednesday that it will bear responsibility for the resulting humanitarian crisis in Syria if the Moscow-backed Syrian military attacks Idlib. Eric Pahon, a Pentagon front man, said the US and its allies are concerned about the deadly consequences of such an offensive. Pahon said the US questions the continued presence of more than a dozen Russian warships off of Syrian Mediterranean coast, adding the ships must operate safely and abide by international law. |
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