Fears of Direct Conflict between Turkey and Russia Have Risen

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As a result of an airstrike in northwestern Syria, at least 33 Turkish soldiers died. The Turkish army suffered heavy losses as a result of an airstrike in northwestern Syria, which can radically change the course of the Syrian war amid growing fears of a direct conflict between Russia and Turkey, which is a NATO member. At least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed and more than 30 injured, Rahmi Dogan said, the governor of the Turkish province of Hatay, where the wounded are brought. According to Turkish authorities, the strike was delivered by the Syrian government forces, but most of the recent-weeks air strikes in the region were carried out by Russian fighters. On Friday, demonstrators gathered outside the Russian consulate, chanting: “Russia is a killer! Putin is a killer! ” The Turkish authorities do not blame Russia for fear of a direct collision and wishing to retain the possibility of negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. No comments from the Russian authorities on Thursday were received. According to Turkish media, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan convened an emergency meeting in Ankara on Thursday. Meanwhile, Turkish forces began to retaliate against the Syrian army in Idlib province. Omer Celik, a spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party, described the incident as an “attack” on the Alliance and said Turkey would begin consultations with NATO on Friday over the deaths of three dozen military personnel as a result of an air strike in Idlib. Turkey has long supported opposition forces in the Syrian civil war. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with the support of Russia and Iran, was able to predominantly suppress the rebel movement, which killed hundreds of thousands of people and millions became refugees. The Assad government, with air support from Russia, is conducting an offensive in Idlib, which is the last stronghold of the rebels. Over the past three months, due to the escalation of violence in this region, nearly a million people have been forced to leave their homes, which has led to a humanitarian crisis on the border with Turkey. In recent days, tensions between the two sides have been growing, reinforcing concerns about a conflict between Turkey and Russia, which controls airspace in northwestern Syria. Erdogan called on the Syrian government and Russian forces to stop the offensive in Idlib and move away from Turkish positions, which were surrounded by Syrian forces. He also calls to establish Turkish-controlled security zone for migrants in the region. Turkey has sent thousands of troops to the province to stop the Syrian army’s advance, but the lack of air support is hampering its efforts. Russia is conducting a massive air campaign throughout the province, striking at hospitals, schools and residential buildings. At least 300 people died in three months. Ankara asked the United States to provide Patriot missiles to protect Turkish troops and called on NATO to enforce a no-fly zone to protect three million civilians in Idlib. However, Washington and NATO members so far refuse to get involved in the conflict in northwestern Syria, unwilling to enter into confrontation with Russia, Western officials say. However, the State Department said Thursday that the US is very concerned about reports of an attack on the Turkish military in Idlib and is supporting its NATO ally. “We support our NATO ally, Turkey, and continue to call for an immediate end to this disgusting offensive operation by the Assad regime, Russia and Iran’s supported forces,” a State Department spokesman said in a statement. US Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison on Thursday expressed hope that the Turkish authorities will soon understand what Russia is and who in reality is Ankara’s reliable partner. Hutchison said this, responding to a journalist’s request to comment on the deaths of dozens of Turkish soldiers in Syria from a strike by the Syrian government army, which Russia supports. Responding to the question, Hutchison noted that she was not aware of the incident, however, if “this happened, then I just hope that President Erdogan ... will see who is ... a reliable partner and who is not.” The diplomat added that Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems damaged relations between Ankara and Washington. The Russian Ministry of Defense, for its part, reported that “on February 27, 2020, the de-escalation units in the Idlib zone of the formation of the terrorist group “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” made an attempt to conduct a large-scale offensive operation on an extensive front on the positions of the Syrian government forces.” The ministry said that the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the warring parties (CRVP) is in constant contact with the Turkish Idlib Coordination Center “Over the past 24 hours, representatives of the Russian CRVP constantly requested and confirmed from Turkish colleagues the coordinates of the location of all the Turkish armed forces units located near the terrorist combat zones,” the ministry emphasized.