Turkish soldier was killed in a rocket attack on a supply convoy
A Turkish soldier was killed, four others were wounded in a rocket attack on a supply convoy in northern Syria’s Idlib province, the Defense Ministry said early Tuesday.
“In the Operation Spring Shield zone, one of our hero fellow soldiers was martyred and four of our heroic fellow soldiers were injured in the rocket attack on our supply convoy on May 10, 2021,” the ministry said on Twitter.
The injured were transferred to the hospital.
“We wish Allah’s mercy on our hero martyr, condolences and patience to his family and the Turkish Armed Forces, and a speedy recovery to the wounded,” it added.
Turkish forces identified targets in the area and opened fire in retaliation, the ministry statement said. It did not say who carried out the attack.
Turkey announced the launch of Operation Spring Shield on March 1 in the wake of an attack by the Syrian regime on Turkish troops who were observing a cease-fire in Idlib on Feb. 27 which martyred 33, according to the nation’s defense chief.
The Turkish military has 12 observation posts in Idlib, the last opposition-held bastion in Syria.
Currently, Turkish soldiers are working to protect local civilians as part of a September 2018 deal with Russia, which prohibits acts of aggression in a de-escalation zone set up around Idlib.
The posts were set up after a 2018 Russia-Turkey deal reached in Sochi to prevent a regime offensive, but in recent months, Assad has pressed on with an assault supported by Russian airstrikes.
