Turkey claims 309 Syrian troops 'neutralised' in retaliatory attack

After 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike launched by Syrian regime forces on the night of February 27, Ankara retaliated by “neutralising” 309 Syrian troops, said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. The former chief of the Turkish General Staff has reportedly claimed that Turkey destroyed five Syrian military helicopter, 23 tanks, 23 howitzers, and two air defence systems.

Akar said that the attack on Turkish forces was launched despite the fact that Ankara had shared the coordinates of its troops with Kremlin. The Defence Minister has alleged that Syrian troops continued their strikes against Turkish forces and targeted ambulances even after the warnings. Akar reportedly dismissed the claims of the presence of Syrian militants saying they didn’t have any other armed groups in the premises.

Read: UN Chief Calls Syrian Crisis 'humanitarian Nightmare', Says There Is No Military Solution

Russia disputes Turkish claims

Russian Defence Ministry reportedly contradicted with the claims made by Turkey saying the Turkish troops were not supposed to be in the area as per the coordinates shared with Russia’s Reconciliation Center in Syria. The Ministry, in the counterclaim, said that the Turkish troops came under fire because they were deployed among “terrorist battle formations”.

Russia and Turkey have been accusing each other of the ceasefire violations and offensive in the Idlib province. But the situation in northwestern Syria escalated following direct conflict between the Turkish forces and Russia-backed Syrian regime troops.

Read: Erdogan Threatens To Launch ‘imminent’ Operation In Syria’s Idlib Province

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson of the United Nations Secretary-General said in a statement that the UN chief is following the escalation in northwest Syria and reports that dozens of Turkish soldiers have been killed by an airstrike with grave concern. Antonio Guterres reiterated his for an immediate ceasefire and expressed particular concern about the risk to civilians from escalating military actions.

“There is no military solution to the Syrian conflict. The only sustainable solution is a UN-facilitated political process pursuant to Security Council resolution 2254,” said the spokesperson.

“Without urgent action, the risk of even greater escalation grows by the hour,” he added.

Read: Turkey Will Not Stop Migrants From Seeking Refuge In Europe: Official

Read: Turkish President Refuses To 'step Back' In Syrian Region Of Idlib

(With inputs from agencies)