Turkey, Russia work on Idlib amid lull in air strikes

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Turkey has said it is working with Russia and Iran to stabilize Syria's rebel-held Idlib region, indicating continued efforts to avoid a Syrian government offensive in the area, where Ankara failed to secure a ceasefire last week.

Damascus, backed by Russia and Iran, has been preparing a major assault to recover the region. The United Nations has warned this could trigger a humanitarian catastrophe in an area where 3 million people live.

Idlib is part of an arc of territory at the Turkish border representing the last major area held by insurgents who have fought President Bashar al-Assad through more than seven years of war. Assad has vowed to recover “every inch” of Syria.

Members of a Syrian family sit together in a cave seeking shelter from government forces' bombardment in the village of al-Habit in the south of Idlib on September 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

Turkey, which backs the anti-Assad opposition, has been warning Assad and his allies against attacking Idlib. It has reinforced 12 military observation posts in the region, and stepped up arms shipments to allied rebels.

But Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, in comments on Wednesday evening, indicated that there were continued contacts with Russia and Iran for a diplomatic solution.

"We are working intensively with Russia, Iran and our allies for peace and stability to be brought to the region and for a humanitarian tragedy to be prevented,” he was quoted as saying on Thursday by the state-run news agency Anadolu.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met the leaders of Iran and Russia last week in Tehran, but failed to win a ceasefire pledge.

A wall along the border between Turkey and Syriaat the Syrian town of Atimah, Idlib province. /VCG File Photo

Turkey, which is already hosting 3.5 million Syrians, says it cannot take in more and has accused the West of abandoning it to the consequences of Assad's reconquest of Syria.

Russian and Syrian warplanes launched waves of air strikes in the northwest last week, killing dozens and uprooting tens of thousands. But activists said there had been a lull.

"For the past three days things have been calm,” said Abdel Razzaq, a monitor for the Sentry warning service, which operates in opposition-held parts of Syria.

Speaking from where he monitors the skies in Maarat al-Numan, south of Idlib city, he said there had been no air strikes, although some shelling continued on the front lines.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdulrahman said neither Russian nor Syria warplanes had been attacking the area since around midday Monday.

Source(s): Reuters