Dilara Hamit
20 February 2020•Update: 21 February 2020
ANKARA
Two Turkish soldiers were martyred and five injured in airstrikes on Turkish elements in Idlib, northwestern Syria, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry announced on Thursday.
In retaliation, Turkish forces neutralized over 50 regime elements and destroyed five tanks, two armored personnel vehicles, two armed pickups, and one howitzer, the ministry said on Twitter.
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
It also wished condolences to the families of the martyrs and to the Turkish Armed Forces, whose troops are in the border region as part of a de-escalation zone meant to protect the local civilian population.
Responding to Turkish soldiers being martyred by Assad regime forces in recent weeks, Turkey has swiftly retaliated, neutralizing hundreds of Syria troops, and warning that it would not tolerate any Turkish soldiers coming to harm.
Vice President Fuat Oktay offered his condolences over the attack.
"I wish God’s grace upon those who lost their lives as a result of the airstrikes on our forces, who are in the region preserving the ceasefire. My deepest condolences to all our people."
Fahrettin Altun, Turkey's communications director, also slammed the regime for martyring Turkish soldiers who were in Idlib "to ensure peace and manage humanitarian activities."
Altun wished God’s grace upon those who lost their lives and a speedy recovery to the injured.
Condemning the attacks on Turkish soldiers, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the martyrs were not lost in vain.
On Twitter, Cavusoglu expressed his condolences to those who lost their lives and a quick recovery to the injured.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), sympathized with families of martyrs and the Turkish nation over the deadly attack.
"I wish God’s grace upon those who lost their lives as a result of the airstrikes on our forces. My condolences to the families of our martyrs, and to our nation."
Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.
Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN figures.
Idlib, near Turkey's southern border, falls within a de-escalation zone laid out in a deal between Turkey and Russia in late 2018. The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the territory where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
The de-escalation zone is currently home to about 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-torn country.
Some 1 million Idlib refugees have moved towards the Turkish border in recent months, fleeing attacks by the Assad regime and its allies, and causing a desperate humanitarian situation.
Turkey has called for an immediate halt to the attacks on Idlib, and for the cease-fire to be followed, warning that if the attacks do not stop Turkey will act.
