33 Turkish soldiers killed; Erdogan calls on NATO for help

Following the deaths of 33 Turkish soldiers in Syrian airstrikes in Idlib, the Turkish president called on NATO for help and threatened to open Europe's borders to refugees. In retaliation, Turkey bombed Syrian forces' positions.

At least 33 Turkish soldiers have been killed in an attack in Syria's Idlib province, according to the latest official figures. Rahmi Dogan, governor of the southern border province of Hatay, said 36 people were wounded and were currently hospitalized. He blamed the Syrian armed forces for the attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Syrian warplanes have bombed a military convoy south of the city of Saraqeb.

Emergency meeting in Ankara

Immediately after the attack, an emergency meeting was held in Ankara, attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At the end of the meeting, a statement was issued threatening Syrian units with severe retaliatory attacks.

Erdogan's spokesman announced that last night, Turkish armed forces attacked Syrian unit positions from the ground and air in retaliation.

Türkiye asks NATO for help and threatens to open Europe's borders 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called on NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to support his country in a phone call. "We call on the entire international community to fulfill their responsibilities," he said.

Stoltenberg also called for de-escalation, saying that the "dangerous" situation in the region and the "terrible humanitarian situation" of its residents should not be made worse.

Omer Celik, a spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party, threatened to open Western Europe's borders to millions of refugees, Anadolu Agency reported. "Our asylum policy is the same, but the situation is now such that we are no longer able to hold refugees," he said.

News and images of the opening of the borders have been circulating on social media. Türkiye has welcomed 3.7 million Syrian refugees over the past few years.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with the United States and its Western allies, called for an immediate ceasefire on the sidelines of a UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

Influential US Senator Lindsey Graham called for a no-fly zone in Idlib, given the worsening situation. A US State Department spokesman said Washington stands with its NATO ally Turkey and wants the "abhorrent" attacks by the Syrian regime, Russia and Iran-backed armed forces to end as soon as possible.

Idlib is the last stronghold of Syrian rebels. Turkey supports Islamist rebels in the Syrian civil war. A ceasefire was supposed to be in place in the region. Under a 2018 agreement with Russia, Ankara set up 12 observation posts in the region.

However, in December last year, the Syrian armed forces, with the support of Russia, launched a progressive offensive aimed at retaking all the territory held by the rebels. Erdogan also decided to send more units to northern Syria and threatened to respond with a military response if the Syrian army did not back down.

In the clashes that erupted between Syrian and Turkish units during these developments, 20 Turkish soldiers were killed in Idlib within a month until Thursday.

About half a million Syrians are displaced in this crisis-ridden region. Türkiye closed its borders a few weeks ago. The refugees are deprived of shelter, food, and medicine in the sub-zero winter cold.

Source: DW