Turkish forces gunned down Sunday 1st March two military aircraft and killed 19 Syrian soldiers in the Idlib region, on the third day of a military escalation in the north-west of the country between Turkey, which supports several rebel groups, and the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, supported by Russia.
Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed that his forces had killed two Syrian Sukhoi Su-24s. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), the planes were shot down by an F16 from the Turkish army in areas held by the Syrian regime. The four Syrian pilots were able to eject and land in a parachute " safe and sound ", has indicated the official Syrian news agency SANA.
On Sunday evening, the OSDH also announced that 19 Syrian soldiers had been killed by Turkish drone fire on a military convoy in Idlib province. Several hours earlier, the Syrian media reported that three Turkish drones had been shot down, while the regime said it was closing its airspace.
Since Friday, 93 Syrian soldiers have been killed in bombings by Turkey, including at least 45 in reprisal raids by Turkish drones, according to the OSDH, which has a large network of sources in Syria.
A possible Erdogan-Poutine meeting during the week
The death of 33 Turkish soldiers on Thursday in an attack attributed to the Syrian regime has further destabilized the region, including the opening by Turkey of its borders with Europe. Turkish military says attacks since retaliation took the name of "Operation Spring Shield" and were intended to "Put an end to the massacres of the regime and prevent a migratory wave".
The announcement of the operation by the Turkish authorities was accompanied by messages aimed at clearing the ground with Russia, an essential ally of Damascus in the reconquest in the province of Idlib – but also supplier of anti-aircraft equipment in Ankara. The Turkish defense minister said that his country had "Neither the intention nor the desire to enter into a confrontation with Russia", while stressing that Turkey expected Moscow to pressure Damascus to "Stop his attacks".
On Saturday, Turkish President Erdogan had toughened the tone towards his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. In a telephone interview on Friday, "I said to Mr. Putin: Get out of our way. Leave us alone with the diet "said Erdogan.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on Sunday that he "Hoped" a meeting between MM. Erdogan and Poutine Thursday or Friday. "It will undoubtedly be a difficult meeting, but the heads of state confirm their will to resolve the situation in Idlib. "
In this context of tensions, the editor and three collaborators in Turkey of the Russian media Sputnik, funded by the Kremlin, were arrested by the Turkish authorities. Moscow called Ankara to "Intervene and ensure the safety of journalists".
Meeting of EU ministers
The foreign ministers of the countries of the European Union must participate in a “Extraordinary meeting” this week to discuss the worsening situation in Syria, European Foreign Minister Josep Borrell announced on Sunday.
The ongoing fighting in the province of Idleb "Constitute a serious threat to international peace and security" with a corollary "Terrible human crisis" facing which the EU "Must redouble his efforts" and resort to "All the means at its disposal"added Borell in his press release.
The Russian-backed Damascus regime has been conducting an offensive since December to retake the province of Idlib, the last rebel and jihadist stronghold in Syria. The fighting there has caused yet another humanitarian catastrophe, adding to the long list of tragedies in the conflict, which has killed more than 380,000 people since 2011. According to the UN, the regime's offensive in Idlib has nearly a million displaced.
