Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch an operation in Syria’s Idlib region by the end of the month if Damascus fails to withdraw behind Turkish military positions.
“An operation in Idlib is imminent,” Erdogan told his party’s legislators in Parliament on Wednesday . “We are counting down, we are making our final warnings.”
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Russia – the Syrian government main ally in the nearly nine-year war – responded by saying any Turkish offensive against Syrian forces in Idlib would be the “worst scenario”.
“If we are talking about an operation against the legitimate authorities of the Syrian Republic and armed forces of the Syrian republic this would, of course, be the worst scenario,” said Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, adding Russia and Turkey were staying in contact to prevent tensions escalating further.
Ankara, which backs several rebel groups in northwest Syria, has been outraged since recent Syrian government attacks in Idlib province killed 25 Turkish military personnel in two weeks.
‘No matter the cost’
Erdogan said talks with Russia over the last remaining rebel stronghold in Syria had failed to end in agreement and warned a military operation was just a “matter of time”.
He said Turkey was determined to make Idlib a secure zone “no matter the cost”, even as talks continue with Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
‘s forces.
“We will not leave Idlib to the [Syrian] regime, which does not understand our country determination, and to those encouraging it,” said Erdogan.
Erdogan’s comments came as forces loyal to al-Assad pressed an offensive on the country last major rebel enclave.
About , people have been forced from their homes and shelters in less than three months, including some 728, 11 children, since Syrian government troops renewed the offensive on the region.
Erdogan’s announcement comes a day after dire warnings by United Nations officials who warned of a humanitarian disaster in northwest Syria.
Nearly civilians have been killed in attacks this year in the region, with (percent of the deaths caused by Syrian and Russian forces, according to the UN’s human rights chief.
President al-Assad pledged this week to continue the offensive, saying the war was not yet over but a “complete victory” was in sight.
In September , Turkey, Russia and Iran – the main international players in the conflict – agreed to turn Idlib province into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression were prohibited while all sides were allowed to set up military observation posts.
However, all sides have blamed each other for violating the terms of the agreement, as multiple ceasefires last summer failed to hold.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov told a news conference on Wednesday that Syrian government forces were upholding previous agreements on the region but also reacting to provocations. Lavrov said rebel attacks on Syrian and Russian forces in Idlib were continuing.
Calls for restraint
Syrian aid workers issued an urgent call on Wednesday for a ceasefire and international help for nearly a million people fleeing the onslaught.
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