Turkish aircraft and teams began participating in combating the raging forest fires in the Latakia countryside in western Syria on Saturday morning, following field coordination between the Syrian and Turkish sides. Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh said in a post on the X platform that an agreement had been reached with the Turkish side regarding the participation of two firefighting helicopters and 11 fire engines, including eight vehicles and three water tankers. He noted that the delay in the arrival of the participating teams was due to sudden fires breaking out in Turkey.
Saleh added that firefighting operations that broke out in large areas of the northern Latakia countryside are still ongoing. During a field tour, he explained that civil defense and firefighting teams are working around the clock to control the fires and prevent them from reaching villages, in addition to evacuating residents from the affected areas. He pointed out that high wind speeds and difficult mountainous terrain in the Qastal Maaf, Rabia, and Zanf areas are hampering extinguishing efforts, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
As part of the response to the fires in the Lattakia countryside, a field meeting was held with the Turkish side in the Yiladağ border area adjacent to Jabal Turkmen, with the aim of coordinating joint intervention and response to the forest fires in Lattakia Governorate.
For its part, the Syrian Civil Defense revealed that 62 teams from the Civil Defense and Forestry Regiments are participating in extinguishing the forest fires that have been ongoing since the day before yesterday in the areas of Qastal Ma'af, Rabia, and Zenzif in the Lattakia countryside. It published a video clip showing the explosion of mines and remnants of war caused by the forest fires around the village of Al-Tuffahiyah in the Qastal Ma'af district, amid the difficulties faced by firefighting teams.
For its part, the Syrian Civil Defense revealed that 62 teams from the Civil Defense and Forestry Regiments are participating in extinguishing the forest fires that have been ongoing since the day before yesterday in the areas of Qastal Ma'af, Rabia, and Zenzif in the Lattakia countryside. He posted a video clip of mines and war remnants exploding due to forest fires around the village of Al-Tufahiya in the Qastal Maaf district, amid the difficulties faced by firefighting teams.
The New Arab, Syria Journal
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