Turkish military begins patrols in Syria’s Idlib

IDLIB, Syria

Turkish Armed Forces on Friday started patrols in northwestern Syrian city of Idlib.

In the Sochi Summit held on Feb. 14, the guarantors countries -- Turkey, Russia and Iran -- had agreed on Turkish army’s patrols in Idlib’s de-escalation zone.

The patrols will stretch from northern Idlib city to southern Aleppo.

Earlier, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told Anadolu Agency that Turkish army would hold patrols in the demilitarized zone of Idlib while Russian army would be patrolling outside of the city.

Within the framework of the Astana agreements, Turkey currently holds 12 ceasefire observatory points in Idlib’s de-escalation zone while Russia has 10 points.

Bashar al-Assad regime, ignoring the agreements, constantly strikes Idlib’s de-escalation zone.

Since the beginning of 2019, the regime attacks have left at least 111 civilians dead and more than 300 injured.

Writing by Ali Murat Alhas