DAMASCUS, Syria — Airstrikes targeted a Turkish army convoy inside Syria, killing three civilians and wounding 12, the Turkish Defense Ministry says, but there is no word on Turkish casualties.
The ministry says the convoy was attacked while heading to a Turkish observation post in the rebel-held stronghold of Idlib, where Syrian troops have been on the offensive since late April.
However, Syria’s Foreign Ministry says the convoy of armored vehicles was delivering ammunition to a major rebel-held town, Khan Sheikhoun, which lies on the front line of fighting along the southern edge of the enclave. The town is a stronghold of the al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful group in the rebel-held areas.
It isn’t immediately clear whether Syrian government or Russian warplanes had struck near the convoy, but the development marks a sharp escalation in tensions in Idlib.
The Turkish Defense Ministry’s brief statement doesn’t provide further details but “strongly condemned” the airstrikes, adding that they were “against existing agreements as well as our cooperation and dialogue with Russian.”
— AP
This photo provided by the activist-operated Thiqa News Agency, shows a Turkish military convoy heading toward the town of Khan Sheikhoun, in Idlib province, Syria, August 19, 2019. (Thiqa News Agency via AP)
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