(Zaman Al Wasl)- Turkish-backed opposition forces seized a strategic town and a hilltop in the western countryside of Aleppo, local activists said Wednesday.
Backed by heavy artillery fire, the National Army has taken the town of Sheikh Aqeel and the al-Arqam hilltop northwest of Aleppo city.
Another attack in northern Syria was launched by the opposition fighters to retake Saraqeb, the strategic city two days after its fall to the Syrian regime's favour.
From six axes, the Sytian National Army began its battle to repel regime forces and allied Shiite militias from the town that sits on a major highway that links Syria's two largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo.
Activists and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish drone attacks near Saraqeb killed 25 Syrian soldiers and allied pro-Iran militants.
Turkey said that two more of its soldiers were killed Wednesday in a regime attack in northwestern Syria, as steady clashes between the two national armies continued to rack up casualties.
Turkey has sent thousands of troops into the area to support Syrian insurgents holed up there, but hasn't been able to stop the Russian-backed Syrian government offensive to retake the Idlib province.
Turkish Defense Ministry Said about 2500 regime troops have been killed in three weeks and tens of tanks, missiles batteries have been destroyed and bombed out of service.
A day before the planned meeting of leaders of Turkey and Russia on Idlib escalations, Ankara seems stubborn and no 'concessions' to be offered since its smart missiles and armed drones have been rocking the regime army bastions.
The two presidents, Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan, agreed to meet after a surge in tensions between their countries over fighting in Idlib province between Russian-backed regime forces and rebels allied to Turkey.
Erdogan said Thursday that he expects a ceasefire to be achieved quickly after planned talks Thursday with Putin.
The fighting has raised the prospect of a direct clash between their armies, which operate in close proximity on opposing sides, and Erdogan hopes the talks will yield a ceasefire in Idlib.
Clashes between Turkish and regime forces have killed more than 59 Turkish troops in the past month, including 34 soldiers killed last Thursday in a single airstrike.
“We expect to reach a shared view of the cause of the current crisis, its consequences and agree on a set of measures to overcome it,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said about the upcoming meeting with the Turkish leader.
Russian officials have said they hold Turkey responsible for the collapse of a cease-fire agreement reached in Sochi, Russia in 2018. They say Ankara has failed to honor the deal and rein in militants who continued attacking Syrian and Russian targets.
Earlier Wednesday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov assailed Turkey for shielding "terrorists" in Idlib, a statement that reflected Moscow's forceful posture ahead of the Syria talks.
In a statement, Konashenkov pointed out that under the 2018 agreement with Russia, Turkey was obliged to ensure that militants in Idlib pull 15-20 kilometers (10-12 miles) away from the de-escalation zone along with their heavy weapons. Instead of that, he argued, al-Qaida-linked militants “and other terrorist groups pushed moderate rebels north toward the border with Turkey.”
Konashenkov also assailed the West for turning a blind eye to Turkish military action in Syria "in violation of international law" and treating Turkish threats to destroy Syrian army units as a “legitimate self-defense.”
Zaman Al Wasl
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