Turkey says Syrian govt air strikes kill two Turkish soldiers near Idlib


Reuters | Ankara | Updated: 20-02-2020 20:51 IST | Created: 20-02-2020 20:32 IST
Turkey says Syrian govt air strikes kill two Turkish soldiers near Idlib
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Turkey said on Thursday that two Turkish soldiers were killed and another five were wounded in Syrian government airstrikes near the northwestern region of Idlib on Thursday, adding that more than 50 Syrian forces had been killed in retaliation.

The attacks come a day after President Tayyip Erdogan warned of an imminent Turkish military offensive in Idlib, where Syrian forces, backed by Russia airpower, have mounted an offensive to capture the region. Earlier this month, 13 Turkish soldiers were killed in Syrian attacks, prompting Erdogan to say that Turkey will strike Syrian forces "anywhere" in Syria if another soldier was hurt.

In a statement, the defense ministry said five tanks, two armored personnel carriers, two armored trucks, and one howitzer were also destroyed in retaliation. Shortly after Turkey's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said the soldiers, who were in Idlib to "establish peace and manage humanitarian aid operations," were killed by "an attack carried out by the (Syrian) regime."

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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