Three Turkish soldiers killed by Syrian regime forces in northwest province of Idlib

Three Turkish soldiers were killed by Syrian regime forces in the northwest province of Idlib, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday. He did not specify whether the figure includes two deaths reported on Wednesday.  

“The developments in Idlib are currently in our favor. We have three martyrs. May they rest in peace. On the other hand, the regime’s losses are very big,” he told Arabobserver during the the opening of a political academy in Ankara.  

His comments came just hours after the Turkish defense ministry announced the death of two Turkish soldiers, killed on Wednesday in clashes with regime forces. 

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allied groups launched an offensive against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists and pro-Turkish rebels in Idlib and neighboring Aleppo in December, recapturing more than a hundred towns and villages controlled by rebels since the early years of Syrian uprising began in 2011.

Turkey and its allied Syrian groups have launched counter attacks in some areas to push regime forces away from Turkish military observation posts encircled by the SAA in recent weeks.  

Ankara has also deployed thousands of soldiers and military vehicles since the beginning of February, when five Turkish soldiers and a civilian contractor were killed.  

“The fighting continues and will continue,” Erdogan told members of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “cannot stand without the backing from Iran and Russia,” he added.

Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies retook the key town of Saraqib on Thursday after its recent capture by Syrian regime forces. This was a setback for Damascus, which has claimed to have recaptured all areas lost after 2011. 

Ankara-Moscow talks

Moscow is the Syrian regime’s main backer, providing Damascus with military and political support since 2015, while Ankara has long backed elements of the armed opposition.

Turkey and Russia still enjoy good relations despite a recent war of words between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The two powers signed a de-confliction deal on Idlib in September 2018. However, as of late December last year, the deal appears to have crumbled, as Syrian regime forces launch a new offensive against opposition groups in Idlib. 

Moscow and Ankara accuse one another of failing to adhere by the terms of the deal.

A senior Russian delegation arrived in Ankara on Wednesday for talks with Turkish officials. They met again on Thursday.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters on Thursday that the talks are ongoing.

“We are doing our best to bring about stability. There is a serious trauma and humanitarian drama for the youth and elderly. Ankara-Moscow meetings are into their second day. The meetings continue, we are happy and the parties are struggling for a solution,” he said.

Akar was he will soon hold a phone call with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to discuss developments in Idlib.