Turkish drones & extra troops to patrol Idlib after deal with Moscow – FM
Ankara will boost its presence in Syria’s militant-held Idlib after a breakthrough deal with Moscow on Monday. Extra lookout posts and border patrols manned by Turkey and Russia will be deployed, while drones will patrol the sky.
“Russia and Turkey will carry out joint, coordinated patrols here, around the Idlib border. We will need to make additional troop deployments here,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced on Tuesday.
Cavusoglu said that Turkey will send in drones and install 12 observation posts in the area. He also noted that Russian and Turkish intelligence and security officials will discuss the status of radical militant groups in Idlib.
There will be “no change” to the status of Idlib, Cavusoglu clarified, with the troops aiming to “protect” the border as agreed by Moscow and Ankara. “Civilians will stay, only terrorist groups will be removed,” he said.
The agreement to create a buffer zone in Idlib province was reached on Monday during talks between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi. It will separate the Syrian government troops from the militants, with all heavy weapons to be pulled out of the area.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu supported the buffer zone deal, saying it will help to create “a new security structure” in the existing Idlib de-escalation zone.
The deal implies that Russia and Turkey will join forces to clear Idlib of “radical” and terrorist groups, including the Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Al-Nusra Front). Moscow says that terrorists are using Idlib as a base for launching attacks against the Syrian and Russian troops, as well as civilians.
Idlib is the last remaining stronghold of anti-government militants in Syria. Over recent months, the city of Idlib and its surroundings have become encircled by the Syrian Army in apparent preparation for the liberation of the area. Concerned about a looming government offensive, Ankara warned that any major operation would inevitably lead to many civilians getting killed and thousands of refugees pouring across the border into neighboring Turkey. While the deal has apparently averted such a scenario, Ankara will now be expected to live up to its word by getting rid of the terrorist groups in the areas it occupies and patrols.
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