Turkish forces operating in northwest Syria got in a shooting war with Syrian government troops this week after the shelling of a Turkish observation post in Idlib province. Syrian forces began an operation to liberate the militant-controlled province late last year after repeated violations of a regional ceasefire.
Turkey has deployed special forces commandos to Idlib, Syria, Anadolu Agency has reported.
According to the news agency's sources, armoured transports containing special forces troops were sent to Idlib through Reyhanli, a city near the border with Syria in Turkey's Hatay province.
The Turkish military has also reportedly deployed multiple launch rocket artillery systems on the border with the Arab Republic.
Later Thursday, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar confirmed that reinforcements were being deployed to Idlib to “ensure the ceasefire,” and warned that the military would use force against anyone who violates the ceasefire, including unspecified ‘radical' groups.
Moscow: Syrian Troops Fighting Terrorists on Their Own Territory
Commenting on the situation in Idlib on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Damascus had every right to engage in anti-terrorist operations on its own territory.
“This is a matter of fulfilling the Sochi Accords and the obligations that the parties assumed in accordance with this document. Also, perhaps first and foremost, we're talking about…
