Small Wars Journal

Turkish Officials Speak with NATO and U.S. Leaders, Hold Emergency Meeting After 29 Soldiers Killed in Syria Airstrike

Fri, 02/28/2020 - 8:32am

Turkish Officials Speak with NATO and U.S. Leaders, Hold Emergency Meeting After 29 Soldiers Killed in Syria Airstrike by Bassem Mroue and Andrew Wilks - Associated Press

An airstrike by Syrian government forces killed 29 Turkish soldiers in northeast Syria, a Turkish official said Friday, marking the largest death toll for Turkey in a single day since it first intervened in Syria in 2016.

The deaths were a serious escalation in the direct conflict between Turkish and Russia-backed Syrian forces that has been waged since early February.

Rahmi Dogan, the governor of Turkey’s Hatay province bordering Syria’s Idlib region, said 29 troops were killed and others were seriously wounded in the attack late Thursday. He said 39 injured were being treated in Turkish hospitals.

Three Turkish soldiers were killed earlier Thursday in Idlib. At least 50 have now been killed in Idlib since the start of February…

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