Small Wars Journal

Syrian Troops Surround Turkish Post in Country's Northwest

Mon, 08/26/2019 - 12:20am

Syrian Troops Surround Turkish Post in Country's Northwest by Albert Aji – Associated Press

A heavily fortified Turkish observation post in the northwestern village of Morek stood surrounded on all sides by Syrian troops Saturday, a testament to the rapid advance of President Bashar Assad's forces in Syria's northwest over the past three weeks as rebel defenses collapsed.

Syrian authorities took a group of journalists to tour the observation post, several newly captured villages and the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which was a major rebel stronghold until it was taken by government forces earlier this week.

In Morek, there was no sign of friction between the Turks and the Syrian troops who took positions hundreds of meters away from the observation post. The journalists were kept about 2 kilometers (1.2 mile) away from the Turkish post…

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