BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:30 P.M.) – The Turkish-backed militants and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued to battle over the area surrounding Saraqib on Monday.
READ ALSO: Russian Su-35 allegedly intercepts Turkish F-16 in northern Syria – Sohu
The town was recently recaptured by government forces after over seven years in militant hands.
On the ground, footage showed Turkish artillery close to the M5 highway targeting government positions in the area. Clouds of smoke can be seen rising in the distance.
One of the SAA officers said Turkish forces “tried to target some of the SAA points, but on the ground, there is nothing [that hasn’t influenced the facts], as the army is continuing its operations.”
The officer added that “the nasty [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, tries to boost the morale of terrorist groups.”
Later in the day, five Turkish soldiers were reportedly killed and as many injured when the SAA launched an offensive on the airport of Taftanaz.
Today’s announcement follows the death of six Turkish soldiers during an artillery bombardment on February 3, prompting a strong condemnation and retaliatory attacks from Ankara.
Credit: Ruptly
Be Civil
This is a Civilized Place for Public Discussion
Please treat this discussion with the same respect you would a public park. We, too, are a shared community resource — a place to share skills, knowledge and interests through ongoing conversation.
These are not hard and fast rules, merely guidelines to aid the human judgment of our community and keep this a clean and well-lighted place for civilized public discourse.
Make it better
Improve the Discussion
Help us make this a great place for discussion by always working to improve the discussion in some way, however small. If you are not sure your post adds to the conversation, think over what you want to say and try again later.
The topics discussed here matter to us, and we want you to act as if they matter to you, too. Be respectful of the topics and the people discussing them, even if you disagree with some of what is being said.
Now the hard part!
Be Agreeable, Even When You Disagree
You may wish to respond to something by disagreeing with it. That’s fine. But remember to criticize ideas, not people. Please avoid:
Instead, provide reasoned counter-arguments that improve the conversation.