After reaching a Russian-Turkish ceasefire agreement in Syrian Idlib, about 300 thousand refugees were able to return home, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.
“We have made every effort to find a political solution in Idlib. Although there are a number of minor violations, the ceasefire is generally respected. As a result of the ceasefire, about 300 thousand Syrian brothers were able to return home safely”, – Akara agency quoted Anadolu.
According to him, the Turkish Armed Forces continue to fight against the Kurdistan Workers Party, which is banned in the country, in Syria and northern Iraq.
“Since January 1, as a result of anti-terrorist operations, 1,458 terrorists have been neutralized there”, – Akar added.
The situation in Syrian Idlib escalated at the end of February, when militants from the Khayyat Tahrir al-Sham* terrorist group launched a large-scale attack on the positions of the Syrian government forces. The Syrian army returned fire. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Turkish military, who should not have been there, was also bombarded.
After the meeting of the Presidents of the Russian Federation and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan in Moscow on March 5, the situation was removed from the dangerous line – the parties adopted a joint document in which they reaffirmed their commitment to the “Astana” format and announced a ceasefire. In addition, Moscow and Ankara agreed to jointly patrol the important M-4 highway.
* – A terrorist organization banned in Russia