Ankara Ensures Impartiality in Syrian Army Operation in Idlib

The Arabic-language al-Hadath news quoted the source as disclosing that Erdogan, in his recent meeting with Putin in Ankara, has assured the Russian president that the Turkish forces will remain impartial in the Syrian Army’s liberation operation in Idlib provided that the Kurdish bases in the towns of Afrin, Tal Abyadh, Ra’as  al-Ein and Qamishli in Northern Syria will be purged of Kurdish fighters.

The diplomat told al-Hadath that Erdogan has received worrying reports from the Turkish intelligence service about the Kurds’ dangerous movements in Turkey coordinated by the Kurds in Syria and backed up by the US intelligence.

Reports said earlier today that Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations and Head of the government delegation to intra-Syrian peace talks Bashar al-Jaafari said that the US and Turkish military forces should leave his conflict-plagued country immediately.

Al-Jaafari made the demand during the latest round of Syrian peace negotiations in the Kazakh capital city of Astana

On October 13, Turkish troops travelling in a convoy of 12 armored vehicles entered Northern Syria in a new military operation.

Turkish media sources said the convoy included about 80 soldiers.

Local sources said the troops were headed towards the Western part of Aleppo province.

The development came after Turkish officials said they were sending troops into Syria to enforce a de-escalation zone in Idlib, which is largely controlled by Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at or the Levant Liberation Board) terrorist alliance.

The de-escalation zone forms part of an agreement reached between Turkey, Iran and Russia.

Syrian congress of national dialogue will be held in Sochi in late Jan.