30 Turkish military vehicles enter Syria's Idlib

Damaged shops and rubble-ridden streets in the town of Saraqib in the eastern part of the Idlib province in northwestern Syria, February 27, 2020. /AFP Photo

A convoy of 30 Turkish military vehicles entered Syria's northern Idlib province on Sunday, a war monitor reported.

The military convoy carried logistic and military gears, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said 2,980 Turkish military gears entered Idlib since March 5, when Russia and Turkey established a cease-fire deal in Idlib between the rebels and the Syrian army.

The Syrian government repeatedly called for the withdrawal of foreign forces that entered Syria without the consent of the Syrian government such as the Turkish and the U.S. forces.

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) makes a speech during a joint press conference with President of Russia Vladimir Putin (R) in Moscow, Russia, March 5, 2020. /Reuters Photo

Turkey and Russia agreed a ceasefire deal two months ago in Syria's Idlib region, their two leaders said after talks in Moscow to contain a conflict which has displaced nearly a million people in three months.

Under the agreement, Turkish and Russian forces will carry out joint patrols along the M4 highway linking Syria's east and west, and establish a security corridor either side of it.

Russia and Turkey back opposing sides in Syria's nine-year conflict, with Moscow supporting President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey backing some rebel groups. Several previous deals to end the fighting in Idlib have collapsed.

The latest offensive in Idlib by Assad's forces, backed by Russian air strikes, sparked what the United Nations says may be the worst humanitarian crisis yet in a war that has driven millions from their homes and killed hundreds of thousands.

Syrians are seen on the rubble of a destroyed building that covers a street after Assad regime airstrikes in the town of Ariha, in Idlib province, Syria, January 30. /AP Photo

Turkey, which has the second largest army in the transatlantic NATO alliance, has funneled troops and equipment into the region in recent weeks to resist the Syrian government forces' advance and prevent a wave of refugees over its southern border.

Russia also raced to reinforce its troops in Syria by sea and air before the Putin-Erdogan talks.

Assad himself has vowed to recapture "every inch" of Syrian territory, but his depleted military depends heavily on Moscow's power and Iranian-backed militias on the ground. Iran was not a party to Thursday's deal.

Apart from Idlib, a large stretch of northern Syria remains outside Assad's control, held by Turkey and its rebel partners, and by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.

Turkey says it has largely agreed on Idlib ceasefire details with Russia

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency