Turkish President Erdogan asks Russia to step aside in Syria after 34 soldiers killed
- Erdogan said he had told Putin in a phone call to stand aside and let Turkey ‘do what is necessary’ with the Syrian government
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he had asked President Vladimir Putin for Russia to stand aside in Syria and let Turkey fight Syrian government forces alone, after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed this week.
But the Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air power, kept up air strikes in the northwestern province of Idlib, attacking the strategic city of Saraqeb which sits on an important road, the Syrian Observatory war monitor reported.
The government forces’ air strikes are part of a major assault to capture the province, part of the last remaining territory held by rebels backed by Turkey.
Turkey, which has poured forces into Idlib, also hit back, killing 26 pro-Damascus troops around Idlib and the Aleppo countryside, the Syrian Observatory said, and Turkey-backed rebels said they had retaken six towns and villages in southern Idlib.
With diplomacy sponsored by Ankara and Moscow to ease tensions in tatters, Turkey has come closer than ever to confrontation with Russia on the battlefield in Syria.
