Small Wars Journal

Syria: Escalation in Idlib May Force Turkey to Review Its Position

Sat, 07/06/2019 - 3:29pm

Syria: Escalation in Idlib May Force Turkey to Review Its Position by Fehim Tastekin - Al-Monitor

Syria's Idlib is becoming a bog of deadly violence where Turkish and regime armies are being drawn into direct confrontations.

Rising military fatalities in Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria’s civil war, could force the Turkish government to review its strategy there. Though Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won't want to take a step back in foreign policy so soon after his ruling party received a major blow in domestic politics, that may be a bitter pill he has to swallow.

Moscow and Ankara have worked together on peace talks regarding the Syrian civil war, but Russia backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey has supported the Free Syrian Army. Those peace talks stipulated that Turkey would establish a dozen observation posts in Idlib province, which borders Hama province. But those posts have become targets several times in recent weeks, leaving one Turkish soldier dead and three wounded. Turkey has retaliated, striking regime positions…

Read on.