Kremlin to Turkey: Syrian militant attacks must be stamped out

The Kremlin said on Monday that President Vladimir Putin understood the concerns of his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, but that he was equally concerned about attacks by militants from Syria's Idlib that needed to be stamped out. Erdogan told Putin on Friday that attacks by Syria's Russian-backed army in northwest Syria were causing a humanitarian crisis and threatening Turkey's national security, the Turkish presidency said.

"Putin has repeatedly said he understands the concerns of our Turkish colleagues ... but at the same time, the president remains ... concerned about the activation of action by terrorist elements from Idlib that cannot be (left) without being stamped out and destroyed," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call.