ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated on Saturday he had asked President Vladimir Putin for Russia to stand aside in Syria and let Turkey handle Syrian federal government forces alone, after 34 Turkish soldiers were eliminated this week.
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during funeral ceremony of Turkish soldier Emre Baysal who was killed in Syria’s Idlib region, in Istanbul, Turkey, February 29,2020 Presidential Press Office/Handout through REUTERS
Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air power, have actually waged a major assault to capture the northwestern province of Idlib, part of the last remaining area held by rebels backed by Turkey.
Syrian and Russian warplanes on Saturday kept up air strikes on the Idlib city of Saraqeb, the Syrian Observatory war monitor reported. The strategic city rests on an important worldwide roadway and has actually been a flashpoint of fighting in recent days.
Turkish strikes utilizing drones and clever missiles late on Friday hit Hezbollah headquarters near Saraqeb, eliminating nine of its members and wounding 30 in among the bloodiest attacks on the Iran-backed group in Syria, according to a leader in the regional alliance backing Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory stated renewed Turkish drone strikes on Saturday eliminated 26 more pro-Damascus soldiers around Idlib and the Aleppo countryside, bringing the death toll for Syrian government forces and their allies to 74 since Friday.
Turkey-backed rebels meanwhile stated they had re-taken six towns and villages on Saturday in the Jabal Zawiya area of