(Zaman Al Wasl)- Turkish-backed armed factions thwarted multiple incursion attempts by regime forces in the western region of Aleppo province, killing at least 17 troops, rebel sources told Zaman al-Wasl on Sunday.
Four attacks launched by the Russian-led forces since Sunday on the battlefronts of Idlib and Aleppo.
Dozens of regime forces were neutralized along with their equipment including 12 vehicles, 24 tanks, eight anti-aircraft ramps, two light armored vehicles, four multi-barrel rocket launchers and two drones in the first two weeks of this month, according to Anadolu Agency.
Two military helicopters downed and crews killed in four days.
The situation in Syria has become tenser as Bashar al-Assad intensifies his assault on Idlib backed by Moscow air power.
Turkey says about 2 million people could head for the Turkish border with if no cease-fire is achieved i northern Syria. So far 800,000 people have been displaced since early December.
Turkey has 12 observation posts in Idlib as part of the 2018 Ankara-Moscow agreement made in southern city of Sochi.
Erdogan threatened to attack Damascus if regime forces did not go back behind the borders of the Sochi deal by the end of February after 14 Turks were killed by Syrian regime shelling in Idlib this month.
Relations between Turkey and the United States have been strained over multiple issues including Syria but it appears the Americans are trying to capitalize on the tensions over Idlib between Ankara and Moscow.
U.S. special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey came to Ankara earlier this week, and voiced Washington's support for Ankara's "legitimate" interests in Syria and in Idlib.
But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier on Saturday insisted that Turkey-Russia relations "shouldn't" be affected by differences of opinion over Syria.
"The situation in Idlib will not affect the S-400 agreement," Cavusoglu said, referring to Ankara's purchase of the Russian air defense system criticized by Washington.
The U.S. has threatened to hit Turkey with sanctions over the S-400 deal.
The Turkish presidency also said Erdogan and Trump discussed the situation in war-torn Libya and "underlined the importance of restoring peace and stability."
And the leaders agreed to restart negotiations to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion per year, it added.
Zaman Al Wasl, Agencies
Zaman Al Wasl
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