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Clash with Syrian regime forces kills five Turkish troops in Idlib

Syrian regime forces have killed five Turkish soldiers in the rebel-held province of Idlib in an escalation that highlights Turkey’s failure to persuade Russia to pause hostilities.

Syrian government forces deploy near the Damascus-Aleppo highway in the southern part of Syria's northern Aleppo province on February 10, 2020. - Syrian regime artillery killed five Turkish soldiers in Idlib today, Turkey's defence ministry said, as the number of people displaced by violence in the region neared 700,000 since December. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
Syrian government forces deploy near the Damascus-Aleppo highway in the southern part of Syria's northern Aleppo province on Feb. 10, 2020. — AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s military intervention in the nine-year-old Syrian conflict took a further deadly turn when regime forces killed five Turkish soldiers in the rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib today.

Turkey’s Ministry of Defense said another five Turkish troops were wounded when Syrian government forces opened fire on them. The attack on the Taftanaz military base, which the Turkish army took over from the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last week, came as Turkey poured fresh troops and equipment into the province following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s vows to retaliate for a separate attack seven days ago. Eight Turkish soldiers died in that attack.

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