Erdogan hardens the tone against Damascus
The tension between the governments of Syria and Turkey is increasing every day. On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke harsh words against the Syrian Arab Army, which continues its advance towards the city of Idlib. Meanwhile, troops from Ankara have started a new military operation in northwest Syria known as the 'Spring Shield'.
“There will not be a head left on the shoulders of Syrian soldiers” who will not retreat to the front lines stipulated by Turkey, Erdogan warned in a public intervention before members of his party, Justice and Development (AKP). For the moment, the figures provided by the Turkish government agencies put the number of casualties inflicted on the Syrian armed forces since last Thursday at more than 2,500. They also claim to have destroyed 135 tanks, as well as other units of military equipment.
Although these numbers must be taken into account with some caution, Erdogan has warned that this offensive “is only the beginning”. “We are only beginning to show our true strength to those who perceive our sensitivity as [a reluctance] to shed blood, to hit or to make suffer, or as weakness and shyness”, the Turkish leader said.
Erdogan reiterated that he is not seeking direct confrontation with the allies in Damascus. “I appeal once again to Russia and Iran. We have no problem with you. We are fighting to solve the humanitarian crisis caused by millions of people coming to our country from Syria and to ensure the security of our lands”, said the president in reference to the almost one million refugees who have left Idlib and its surroundings since last December, according to figures provided by the United Nations.
“I said to Mr. Putin: 'What is your business there? If you want to establish a base, do it, but get out of our way and leave us face to face with the regime'”, said the Turkish president when asked about his conversation with Putin last Friday morning after the Syrian attack that killed 33 people on Thursday night.
The Turkish Embassy in Spain has made public a communication in which it calls on the international community to support Ankara in the face of the “aggressions of the regime in Idlib”, which is causing a massive exodus for which “Turkey cannot and must not assume responsibility on its own”. The note stresses that the attacks carried out by Al-Asad do not conform to any kind of legality: “The regime is committing serious violations amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is further evidence of the regime's long-standing aspiration to survive the conflict through 'military victory'”.
Calls by UN Secretary General António Guterres and the EU institutions to de-escalate the conflict have not had much effect. Russia has so far not raised the tone so much, but has warned the authorities in Ankara that it cannot guarantee the safety of Turkish aircraft in the airspace of the Idlib region, which has been closed by Damascus since Sunday.
On the ground, fighting on Monday has focused on the strategic city of Saraqeb. It has been recaptured in the last hours by military units of the Bachar al-Asad regime after having been in the hands of the pro-Turkish rebels for a few weeks. Saraqeb is important because it is the intersection of the M4 and M5 roads, two of the main communication routes in the entire province of Idlib.
In the course of this operation, Syrian ground units have been assisted by Russian aviation and Iranian-backed militias. With a view to the bilateral meeting between Erdogan and Vladimir Putin to be held next Thursday, 5 March, in Moscow, control of this urban area is shaping up to be a major asset. Whoever controls Saraqeb will have many options to ensure its presence in Idlib.