33 Turkish Soldiers Killed; Erdogan Calls on NATO for Help

Following the deaths of 33 Turkish soldiers in Syrian airstrikes in Idlib, Turkish President Erdogan called on NATO for assistance and threatened to open Europe’s borders to refugees. Turkey subsequently launched retaliatory strikes against Syrian forces positions.

According to the latest official reports, at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack in Syria’s Idlib province. Rami Doğan, governor of the border province of Hatay in southern Turkey, stated that 36 people were also wounded and are currently hospitalized. He held Syrian armed forces responsible for the attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian fighter jets bombed a military convoy south of the city of Saraqeb.

Emergency Meeting in Ankara

Immediately following the attack, an emergency session was held in Ankara with the presence of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey. At the end of this meeting, a statement threatened Syrian units with severe retaliatory attacks.

Erdogan’s spokesman announced that last night Turkish armed forces launched retaliatory attacks on Syrian units’ positions from both ground and air.

Turkey Seeks NATO Assistance and Threatens to Open Europe’s Borders

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Turkish Foreign Minister, called Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, requesting support from the military alliance for his country. He said: “We call on the entire international community to fulfill their obligations.”

Stoltenberg also called for de-escalation and said the “dangerous” situation in the region and the “dire humanitarian situation” of its residents should not be made worse.

According to Anadolu Agency, Ömer Çelik, spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party, threatened to open the borders of Western Europe to millions of refugees. He said: “Our refugee policy is the same as before, but the situation is now such that we can no longer keep refugees.”

News and images of border openings have been circulated on social media. Turkey has accepted 3.7 million Syrian refugees over the past years.

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

Influential American Senator Lindsey Graham, noting the severity of the situation, called for the establishment of a no-fly zone in Idlib. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington stands with Turkey, its NATO ally, 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 rebel stronghold in Syria. Turkey supports Islamist rebels in Syria’s civil war. A ceasefire was supposed to be established in this region. According to a 2018 agreement with Russia, Ankara established 12 observation posts in this area.

Nevertheless, last December, Syrian armed forces, backed by Russia, launched successive attacks aimed at reclaiming all territories under rebel control. Erdogan decided to send more units to northern Syria and threatened that if the Syrian army did not withdraw, he would respond with military action.

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

In this crisis-stricken region, approximately half a million Syrians have been displaced. Turkey closed its borders a few weeks ago. Displaced persons in sub-zero winter temperatures lack shelter, food, and medicine.

Source: DW