(Zaman Al Wasl)- Turkish-backed Syrian forces pressed new gains in northwestern Syria on Saturday, taking two towns and four villages from regime forces south of Idlib and west of Hama province, rebel sources told Zaman al-Wasl.
Backed by Turkish artillery and equipped by new attack weapons, the Syrian National Army has marked a new phase in the conflict in the last opposition stronghold in Syria.
Taking Saraqb three days ago and blocking the strategic highways of M4 and M5 that cross through the town, and the unprecedented Turkish bombardment all have changed Damascus' plans.
Turkish Defense Ministry said about more than 2100 Syrian troops have been ‘naturalized’ in three week while opposition activists said more than 150 troops were killed in 72 hours by Turkish army and allied SNA forces.
Saturday’s clashes reached the Gab Plain west of Hama provinces where the main manpower supply of Bashar la-Assad is located. Syrian rebels took four villages, according to Zaman al-Wasl reporter.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had asked President Vladimir Putin for Russia to step aside in Syria and leave Turkey to deal with Syrian regime forces alone, after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed late on Thursday.
Regime forces, backed by Russian air power, have waged a major assault to capture the northwest province of Idlib, the last remaining territory held by rebels backed by Turkey.
Syrian and Russian warplanes on Saturday kept up air strikes on the Idlib city of Saraqeb, the Syrian Observatory war monitor reported. The strategic city sits on a key international roadway and has been a flashpoint of fighting in recent days.
With diplomacy sponsored by Ankara and Moscow to ease tensions in tatters, Turkey has come closer than ever to confrontation with Russia on the battlefield.
Turkish strikes using drones and smart missiles late on Friday that hit Hezbollah headquarters near Saraqeb killed nine of its members and wounded 30 in one of the bloodiest attacks on the Iran-backed group in Syria ever according to a commander in the regional alliance backing Damascus.
The Observatory said 48 pro-Damascus troops in all had been killed by Turkish strikes over the past 24 hours.
Speaking in Istanbul, Erdogan said he had told Putin in a phone call to stand aside and let Turkey “to do what is necessary” with the Syrian government alone.
He said Turkey does not intend to leave Syria right now.
“We did not go there because we were invited by (Syrian President Bashar al-Assad). We went there because we were invited by the people of Syria. We don’t intend to leave before the people of Syria, ‘okay, this is done,” Erdogan added.
As tensions rose, Russia and Turkey have held three rounds of talks, the first two of which did not yield a ceasefire.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the two sides agreed in this week’s talks to reduce tensions on the ground in Idlib while continuing military action there.
After the death of its soldiers in a Syrian government air strike on Thursday, Turkey said it would allow migrants it hosts to freely pass to Europe.
Erdogan said in Istanbul on Saturday that 18,000 migrants has crossed the border, without providing evidence, adding that the number could rise to 25,000-30,000 on Saturday.
Greek police fired teargas toward migrants who were gathered on its border with Turkey and demanding entry on Saturday.
“We will not close these doors in the coming period and this will continue. Why? The European Union needs to keep its promises. We don’t have to take care of this many refugees, to feed them,” he said.
He complained the funds transferred to Turkey from the European Union to support refugees were arriving too slowly and that he had asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to send the funds directly to the Turkish government.
Turkey’s borders to Europe were closed to migrants under an accord between Turkey and the European Union that halted the 2015-16 migration crisis when more than a million people crossed into Europe by foot.
Zaman al-Wasl with Reuters
Zaman Al Wasl
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