Turkey Sends Large Military Convoy to Northwestern Syria
ANKARA (Dispatches) – The Turkish Army dispatched a new large convoy of military equipment to militant-held regions in southeastern Idlib and sorthern Hama in Syria on Wednesday to reinforce its forces in the war-hit country.
A long convoy of the Turkish military, including forty vehicles and heavy equipment, entered northwestern Syria via Kafr Lusin passageway, heading toward three points in Morek, Sarman and Jabal Shahshabu regions.
The Arabic-language al-Watan daily pointed to widening insecurity in militant-held regions in Idlib province, adding that the regions where the Turkish troops have deployed to set up "truce-monitoring points” are experiencing a deteriorating security situation, mainly in northern Lattakia and southern Idlib.
In a similar development on Monday, a long convoy of the Turkish troops, including a hundred military vehicles, left the town of Morek in northern Hama for Shahshabo region in western Hama after going through Kafr Naboudeh.
Syria says the Turkish military presence on Syrian territory was a blatant violation of international law, and has appealed to the international community to take action to put an end to the "aggression”, which has displaced thousands of people.
The Turkish military said on March 24 that it had established full control over Syria’s Afrin after more than two months of battles with U.S.-backed militants controlling Syria’s northern border regions.
Turkey began the so-called Operation Olive Branch in Afrin on January 20 to clear the northern Syrian border of the U.S.-backed Kurdish militants of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), whom it associates with the homegrown Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighting for autonomy on Turkish soil.
The Turkish military says it has exercised "utmost care” not to harm civilians. The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitor, however, said last week that more than 280 civilians had been killed since the onset of the operation.
The Turkish operation has been launched without permission from the Syrian government. It has also pitted Ankara against Washington, which has armed and supports the Kurdish militants.
A sniper takes aim as Turkish-backed militants enter the village of Baay, south of Afrin, Syria, on March 22, 2018.
A long convoy of the Turkish military, including forty vehicles and heavy equipment, entered northwestern Syria via Kafr Lusin passageway, heading toward three points in Morek, Sarman and Jabal Shahshabu regions.
The Arabic-language al-Watan daily pointed to widening insecurity in militant-held regions in Idlib province, adding that the regions where the Turkish troops have deployed to set up "truce-monitoring points” are experiencing a deteriorating security situation, mainly in northern Lattakia and southern Idlib.
In a similar development on Monday, a long convoy of the Turkish troops, including a hundred military vehicles, left the town of Morek in northern Hama for Shahshabo region in western Hama after going through Kafr Naboudeh.
Syria says the Turkish military presence on Syrian territory was a blatant violation of international law, and has appealed to the international community to take action to put an end to the "aggression”, which has displaced thousands of people.
The Turkish military said on March 24 that it had established full control over Syria’s Afrin after more than two months of battles with U.S.-backed militants controlling Syria’s northern border regions.
Turkey began the so-called Operation Olive Branch in Afrin on January 20 to clear the northern Syrian border of the U.S.-backed Kurdish militants of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), whom it associates with the homegrown Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighting for autonomy on Turkish soil.
The Turkish military says it has exercised "utmost care” not to harm civilians. The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitor, however, said last week that more than 280 civilians had been killed since the onset of the operation.
The Turkish operation has been launched without permission from the Syrian government. It has also pitted Ankara against Washington, which has armed and supports the Kurdish militants.
A sniper takes aim as Turkish-backed militants enter the village of Baay, south of Afrin, Syria, on March 22, 2018.