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Erdogan presents Assad's army withdrawal ultimatum
Posted by
Otto Knotzer on February 17, 2020 - 1:43am Edited 2/17 at 1:45am
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now openly threatening war with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if he does not withdraw his troops from the fiercely contested province of Idlib . Erdogan issued an ultimatum to the Syrian army on Wednesday. If it does not withdraw by the end of the month, Turkey will "take matters into its own hands". At the same time, the head of state also warned the government in Moscow, which assists Assad in the fight against the rebels. "There are currently two of our twelve observation posts behind the regime's line," Erdogan said at a cabinet meeting in Ankara. The situation between the Syrian troops and the Turkish army in Idlib had worsened in recent days. Assad's army fired at Turkish positions on Monday. Eight Turkish soldiers and civilians were killed. Turkey responded with retaliatory attacks. These claimed the lives of at least 13 Syrian soldiers. It has been the most violent battle since Turkey deployed troops to the neighboring country in 2016. Erdogan speaks of "turning point" in the Syrian war.
Erdogan warned in a telephone conversation with Russia's head of state Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the attack on the Turkish troops was a serious setback for the "common efforts to achieve peace in Syria". On Wednesday, the Turkish head of state added: In the future, he will no longer watch if the Turkish-Russian agreements are violated, Erdogan said. This week's fighting marked a “turning point” in the Syrian war. All future attacks would be "paid in the same way". Turkey and Russia signed an agreement in September 2018 to prevent a large-scale Syrian offensive against the Islamist militias supported by Turkey in Idlib. Various ceasefires have been agreed for the region with around three million inhabitants, most recently at the beginning of the year. However, all fire breaks were broken shortly after their entry into force. The Turkish Army's twelve observation posts in Idlib are also part of the agreement with Moscow.
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