{"id":21747,"date":"2017-10-07T19:54:40","date_gmt":"2017-10-07T19:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/10\/07\/turkeys-president-announces-operation-in-syrias-idlib\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:20:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:20:38","slug":"turkeys-president-announces-operation-in-syrias-idlib","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2017\/10\/07\/turkeys-president-announces-operation-in-syrias-idlib\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey&#8217;s president announces operation in Syria&#8217;s Idlib"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ISTANBUL \u2014 Turkey\u2019s president announced Saturday that the country has launched a \u201cserious\u201d operation in Syria\u2019s northwestern Idlib province with Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces, following international efforts for de-escalation in the war-torn country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The operation has been highly expected in the province, where al-Qaida-linked fighters enjoy wide influence, after last month\u2019s talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana during which Turkey, Iran and Russia agreed on setting up \u201ca de-escalation zone\u201d in the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The operation is aimed at eventually crushing al-Qaida in what may turn into a long and costly war. The extremist group has thousands of battle-hardened fighters and enjoys some popular support in the province, unlike the Islamic State group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkey is a strong backer of Syrian opposition fighters while Iran and Russia back President Bashar Assad. Moscow joined the war two years ago siding with Assad while Tehran has sent thousands of Iranian-backed fighters, tipping the balance of power in the president\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In late September, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Turkey where he discussed the situation in Syria with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and earlier this week the Turkish leader went to Tehran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Erdogan said the operation was a \u201cnew step\u201d to establish security in Idlib, promising Turkey would not desert civilians there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cToday, there is a serious operation in Idlib and it will continue,\u201d he said at his political party\u2019s conference in Afyonkarahisar province in western Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Responding to journalists\u2019 questions after the televised speech, Erdogan said: \u201cThe Free Syrian Army is leading an operation in Idlib right now,\u201d referring to moderate rebel groups in Syria. He added that the Turkish military was not yet in the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has activists throughout Syria, said Turkish troops removed some walls in some areas along the border in order to allow vehicles to pass. It said Idlib is tense amid fear of clashes between al-Qaida fighters and those of other militant groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Observatory added that the expected Turkish operation in Idlib will be conducted under the cover of Russian airstrikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkey-backed Syrian forces are fighting the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee, formerly known as Nusra Front. In the past weeks, the Turkish military has been dispatching tanks and armored vehicles to the border with Idlib.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-855782030.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-45692\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-855782030.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-855782030.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-855782030.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Syrian residents and members of the Syrian Civil Defence, also known as White Helmets, search for victims amid the rubble of buildings following a reported overnight air strike in the rebel-held town of Armanaz, in Idlib province near the Turkish border, on Sept. 30, 2017.\n(Omar Haj Kadour\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and Ground Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Guler and Air Force Commander Gen. Hasan Kucukakyuz arrived in the southern province of Hatay bordering Idlib Saturday to inspect preparations, according to a military statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Syrian rebel commander speaking from Turkey said no military operations are ongoing at the moment but said preparations were underway for Turkish troops and FSA fighters to enter Idlib.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe aim of the operation is to implement the Astana agreement by setting up Turkish observation posts similar to those of Russia,\u201d Lt. Col. Fares al-Bayoush said in an exchange of text messages with The Associated Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis cannot be achieved without confronting the Nusra Front,\u201d he said. \u201cThe aim is to finish Nusra Front.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Erdogan told journalists that Turkey would provide security inside Idlib, with Russia on the periphery. Iran, Turkey and Russia reached the deal for four de-escalation zones earlier this year as part of their efforts to negotiate an end to the Syrian civil war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkey\u2019s official Anadolu news agency reported that the Turkish \u201cdeployment\u201d would be to reach de-escalation goals rather than engage in clashes with local militia or the Syrian army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Turkish president warned his country would not permit a \u201cterror corridor\u201d along its border, referring to extremists groups as well as U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Idlib operation will allow us new initiatives on this issue,\u201d Erdogan said, referring to Turkey\u2019s aversion to Syrian Kurdish People\u2019s Protection Units or YPG efforts to link up their semi-autonomous territories in northern Syria. Last year, the Turkish army launched a cross-border operation with FSA to clear an area along its border of the Islamic State group and prevent the YPG from gaining a foothold on the western banks of the Euphrates River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A battle with al-Qaida-linked fighters in Syria could prove costly for Turkey and its allies as the extremist group is powerful and has been crushing any group that might pose any threat to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Bayoush also added that there is a split within the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee with some saying they should fight Turkish troops and others opposing such a battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. officials say that Idlib has become the biggest al-Qaida concentration since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">___<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mroue reported from Beirut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Turkey\u2019s president announced Saturday that the country has launched a \u201cserious\u201d operation in Syria\u2019s northwestern Idlib province with Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces, following international efforts for de-escalation in the war-torn country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":45685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["flashpoints","news"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"4":{"categories":["flashpoints","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","news"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"6":{"categories":["flashpoints","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","news"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"7":{"categories":["flashpoints","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","news"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"}}},"categories":[100,8,12,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1339,1185],"class_list":["post-21747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"FTEQN5Y2UVAIPEPZBGNG4HX7PI","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2017\/10\/07\/turkeys-president-announces-operation-in-syrias-idlib\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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