Fighting between Syrian and Turkish regular forces dramatically escalated on 27 February when at least 33 Turkish soldiers were reported killed in an airstrike in Idlib province, raising the number of Turkish fatalities in Syria in February to over 50.
Turkish reinforcements cross the border into Idlib province on 22 February. (Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images)
Turkish sources put the death toll at 33, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that 34 Turks were killed in an incident that took place between Balioun and Al-Barah in southern Idlib, where Syrian government troops have been making rapid advances since 23 February.
Turkey blamed the Syrian military for the attack, with defence minister Hulusi Akar saying the retaliation involved Turkish aircraft and artillery hitting over 200 targets and killing over 300 Syrian soldiers.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence denied involvement in the airstrike saying it had no aircraft in the vicinity at the time, although it noted that Turkey had not informed it that it had troops in the area.
“The Turkish military who were in the terrorist units’ battle formations came under Syrian troops’ fire near the inhabited community of Behun [Balioun],” it said in a statement. “As soon as the information about Turkish casualties was received, the Russian side took comprehensive measures to fully stop the firing by the Syrian forces and to ensure safe evacuation of the dead and injured Turkish servicemen to the Turkish territory.”
The Turkish government invoked NATO Article 4 provisions and called an emergency meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels, citing a threat to its territorial integrity, political independence and security.
Two Russian frigates, Admiral Makarov and Admiral Grigorovich
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