WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2020) US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar discussed in a phone call how they could work together to resolve the crisis in Syria's Idlib province, Department of Defense Press Secretary Alyssa Farah said in a readout.
"Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar spoke over the phone today," Farah said on Thursday. "[W]e are exploring ways the United States can work together with Turkey and the international community."
Earlier in the day, Akar said that two Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike in Idlib, according to the Daily Sabah newspaper. Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Ankara had not yet received a satisfactory result in the talks with Russia on Idlib and was ready for the start of a military operation in the region. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it the worst case scenario.
Tensions escalated in the Idlib province after the Syrian military shelled a Turkish observation post on February 3, killing six military personnel and one civilian contractor. Turkey responded with a number of retaliatory strikes.
Ankara has requested two Patriot batteries from the United States to repel attacks by the Syrian troops in Idlib. A Department of Defense official told Sputnik last week that Washington had not yet made a decision to approve the request.
