Turkish Military Convoy Pauses After Reported Airstrike in Idlib Province
Turkey’s defense ministry claimed a Syrian government airstrike on a Turkish military convoy killed three civilians and left 12 injured in Syria’s Idlib province on Monday, August 19.
A pro-Syrian opposition source said a member of the Faylaq al-Sham rebel group was killed in the strike.
Turkey blamed Syrian regime forces for the attack and said it had provided advance warning of the convoy’s movements to Russia, which has backed President Bashar al-Assad in the conflict, now in its eighth year. In a statement, Turkey said the convoy was providing supplies to an observation post.
The Syrian government had not commented on the alleged airstrike at the time of writing but, in a statement to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), condemned the passage of the convoy, which it said was carrying weapons to the strategically important town of Khan Sheikhoun to help “terrorists.”
Khan Sheikhoun, long held by rebel forces and the site of a deadly chemical attack in April 2017, saw fierce fighting in recent days as government forces looked to recapture the town from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militant group.
This video, published by pro-opposition media, is said to show the Turkish convoy at rest in the southern Idlib countryside, near the town of Hayesh. Credit: Step News Agency via Storyful
