Turkey strengthens military position near Syrian border ahead of US pull out

Turkey sent a convoy of commando units and armoured vehicles to the Turkish province of Hatay on the Syrian border, state-owned Anadolu news agency said on Friday. The convoy was being sent to reinforce a Turkish military presence on the border near the northern Syrian province of Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, Anadolu said.

The convoy had reached Hatay's Yayladagi region, from which it moved towards the units on the border, the agency said. A Turkish security source said the Turkish army had been rotating forces in and out of the region and declined to say whether the latest movement was in preparation for an operation inside Idlib province itself.