ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th February, 2020) The Turkish Defense Ministry said Friday one more Turkish soldier was killed in Syrian Idlib, two were injured in a shelling by the Syrian government forces.
"In the regime's artillery shelling at our troops, who are in Idlib to ensure a ceasefire, our brother in arms was killed and two were injured," the ministry said in a statement.
The escalation in Idlib was triggered when Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (banned in Russia) began a large-scale offensive against the Syrian government forces. The government forces responded. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Turkish troops who were not supposed to be there were caught in the shelling. There were reports of 33 deaths and more than 30 injured among the Turkish troops. Russia has swiftly made sure that the Syrian forces stopped the offensive so that the injured and the dead could be evacuated to Turkey. The Russian Defense Ministry has stressed that Russian Aerospace Forces' aircraft were not used in the area.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said in the past that Ankara has not managed to fulfill some of its commitments on Idlib, including the separation of terrorists from moderate opposition.
The Russian-Turkish memorandum, which was agreed in September 2018, retains the status quo on the Turkish troops' presence in Idlib, but only under condition that all terrorists and radical groups leave the de-escalation zone by October 15, 2018. It was agreed to take effective measures to ensure stable ceasefire in the zone and to conduct joint Russian-Turkish patrols.
