Ankara Seeks to Reach 'Political Solution' in Idlib

Arab World

May 26th, 5:49am

Ankara - Saeed Abdul Razzak

A resident of Jabal Al Zawiya region of Idlib at his destroyed house on March 8, 2020 following a Russian-Turkish ceasefire deal. AFP

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stressed Monday Ankara’s efforts to reach a political solution in Syria’s Idlib. “We are doing our best to reach a political solution in Idlib. There are some minor violations, but the general scene shows a commitment to the ceasefire,” Akar said. The Minister explained that as a result of the cease-fire reached between Russia and Turkey, approximately 300,000 Syrians returned to their homes safely and voluntarily. On March 5, the two countries signed a cease-fire deal after weeks of armed conflicts between Turkish troops and Syrian regime forces in Idlib, which has long been under siege by the Assad regime forces and its allies. Akar said Ankara also “neutralized” more than one thousand terrorists in cross-border operations since the beginning of this year. “As of Jan. 1, a total of 1,458 terrorists have been neutralized as a result of the operations carried out within the framework of the fight against terrorism in northern Iraq and Syria,” he said during a visit to the central Kayseri province, adding that the Turkish Armed Forces will continue this struggle with determination until the last terrorist is neutralized. Meanwhile, Turkish forces continued bringing in military and logistical reinforcement to their positions in the Idlib area. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said its activists saw a new Turkish military column of tens of vehicles crossing into the Syrian territory, via Kafr Lusin crossing on Iskenderun border. The vehicles headed to Turkish positions in the “de-escalation zone”. The Observatory also quoted reliable sources as saying that Turkey intends to transfer the majority of fighters affiliated with Turkish-backed factions in Afrin area to Libya. “An intelligence officer at “Ziyaret Hanan” checkpoint in the Afrin area told a group of Kurdish citizens that these fighters would soon be transferred due to their corrupt practices and inciting people to Turkish forces in Afrin because of these practices,” the war monitor said.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2302371/ankara-seeks-reach-political-solution-idlib