{"id":55735,"date":"2020-02-06T23:30:16","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T23:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/06\/syrian-army-enters-key-town-as-turkey-beefs-up-its-troops\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:11:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:11:06","slug":"syrian-army-enters-key-town-as-turkey-beefs-up-its-troops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/2020\/02\/06\/syrian-army-enters-key-town-as-turkey-beefs-up-its-troops\/","title":{"rendered":"Syrian army enters key town as Turkey beefs up its troops"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BEIRUT \u2014 Syrian government troops entered a strategic town in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/29\/syrian-troops-capture-key-town-in-rebel-held-idlib-province\/\" target=_blank>the country\u2019s last rebel stronghold<\/a> Thursday after fierce clashes with opposition fighters, even as Turkey sent reinforcements seeking to curtail the offensive, Syrian state media reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The push by President Bashar Assad\u2019s forces into towns and villages in the northwestern Idlib province has caused the displacement of more than a half million people in just over two months, compounding a humanitarian disaster in the region packed with internally displaced people. It has also angered Turkey and risked <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/02\/05\/turkey-demands-syrian-army-exit-rebel-areas-threatens-force\/\" target=_blank>a military confrontation between Turkish and Syrian troops<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The town of Saraqeb, near the Turkish border, has been at the center of intense fighting for days. Opposition fighters pushed out government soldiers who entered it Wednesday, while Turkey sent in new reinforcements Thursday and threatened to use force to compel the Syrian forces to retreat by the end of the month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The town sits at the intersection of two major highways, one linking the capital Damascus to the north and another connecting the country\u2019s west and east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">State news agency SANA and state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV said Syrian army units entered the town before nightfall and were combing it for remaining fighters and explosives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Syrian army had earlier besieged the town and at least four Turkish military posts set up to protect Saraqeb against the advance were also besieged.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/02\/04\/dia-says-isis-took-advantage-of-turkish-invasion-of-northern-syria-baghdadi-death-did-not-degrade-jihadi-group\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5909957.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">DIA says ISIS took advantage of Turkish invasion of northern Syria, Baghdadi death did not degrade jihadi group<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cThis suggests ISIS continues to view the security environment in northeast Syria as more conducive to its operations.\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitoring group, said army units entered Saraqeb but had not yet taken control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Video taken by The Associated Press showed rebel fighters lobbing shells at government troops from around the town of Binnish, northwest of Saraqeb. Fighters stacked artillery shells and burned tires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cToday, we are burning tires for the war that\u2019s hitting the town of Binnish,\u201d said one unidentified fighter, pledging to defeat anyone who tried to advance on the town. \u201cLet them come here and we will stomp on their head one after another,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5760\" height=\"3840\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20037661608059.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Syrian rebel fighters fire a howitzer\" class=\"wp-image-98137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20037661608059.jpg.jpg 5760w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20037661608059.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20037661608059.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20037661608059.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20037661608059.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20037661608059.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5760px) 100vw, 5760px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Syrian rebel fighters fire a howitzer toward the government positions near the village of Nerab, in Idlib province, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. (Ghaith Alsayed\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government advance came after a rare confrontation between Turkey and Syria forces Monday that killed seven Turkish soldiers and a Turkish civilian member of the military, as well as 13 Syrian soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Moscow, Russia\u2019s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that Russian soldiers had been killed in a northern Syrian province alongside Turkish servicemen, without saying when the incident occurred or how many were killed. The ministry blamed \u201cterrorists\u201d for the deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russia is a main backer of Assad\u2019s forces, while Turkey supports insurgents fighting his government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Syrian troops have been advancing since December into the country\u2019s last rebel stronghold, which spans Idlib province and parts of nearby Aleppo. Turkish troops are deployed in some of those rebel-held areas to monitor an earlier cease-fire that has since collapsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkey has set up four military posts to prevent Syrian government forces from marching deeper into Idlib, Syria\u2019s Foreign Ministry said. It said Turkish troops have \u201cflagrantly violated\u201d Syria\u2019s border and deployed in several areas, including the villages of Binnish, Taftanaz and Maaret Musreen.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/02\/06\/us-troops-have-been-squaring-off-with-russian-contractors-in-syria-raising-worries-of-wider-conflict\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1178325939.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US troops have been squaring off with Russian contractors in Syria raising worries of wider conflict<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cI think the Russians are always testing us.\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Syrian offensive to retake the rebel held areas in the northwest has led to a humanitarian crisis, with more than 580,000 civilians fleeing their homes since the beginning of December, according to the U.N. Many of them have sought safety in areas close to the border with Turkey. At least 53 health facilities have suspended work in the area, according to the World Health Organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Idlib province is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced from other parts of Syria in earlier bouts of violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The European Union called Thursday for an end to the fighting and urged warring factions to allow aid workers and supplies into the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBombings and other attacks on civilians in north-west Syria must stop,\u201d EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the bloc\u2019s Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarcic said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They said the EU, a major aid donor, would continue to provide help but that \u201cunimpeded, safe and secure access\u201d was required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Observatory said Syrian warplanes on Thursday attacked a military air base in the village of Taftanaz, where Turkish troops deployed recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Observatory said Syrian rebels later launched an attack under the cover of intense Turkish artillery shelling on the village of Nairab, which Syrian troops captured earlier in the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The insurgents carried out at least one suicide attack with an armored personnel carrier rigged with explosives, according to citizen journalist Taher al-Omar, who is embedded with the militants on the edge of the village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkish leaders have repeatedly called on Russia to \u201crein in\u201d Syrian government forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded Thursday that Russia was concerned about the concentration of insurgent groups in Idlib and their &#8220;continuing activity. &#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Peskov said the Kremlin doesn\u2019t rule out a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to discuss the situation in Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said a delegation from Russia would arrive in Turkey soon for talks on the situation following the attack on Turkish soldiers. He said a follow-up meeting between Erdogan and Putin could also take place \u201cif there is a need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue reported this story in Beirut and AP writer Daria Litvinova reported from Moscow. AP writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Syrian government troops entered a strategic town in the country\u2019s last rebel stronghold Thursday after fierce clashes with opposition fighters, even as Turkey sent reinforcements seeking to curtail the offensive, Syrian state media reported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":98132,"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":12,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,12,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1209,3253],"class_list":["post-55735","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":"P7T7PYERWFA25JZTWYSLQS72H4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2020\/02\/06\/syrian-army-enters-key-town-as-turkey-beefs-up-its-troops\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Syrian army enters key town as Turkey beefs up its troops - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Syrian government troops entered a strategic town in the country\u2019s last rebel stronghold Thursday after fierce clashes with opposition fighters, even as Turkey sent reinforcements seeking to curtail the offensive, Syrian state media reported.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Syrian army enters key town as Turkey beefs up its troops\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Syrian government troops entered a strategic town in the country\u2019s last rebel stronghold Thursday after fierce clashes with opposition fighters, even as Turkey sent reinforcements seeking to curtail the offensive, Syrian state media reported.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/2020\/02\/06\/syrian-army-enters-key-town-as-turkey-beefs-up-its-troops\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-06T23:30:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T11:11:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press, Daria Litvinova, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press, Daria Litvinova, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" 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