[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Turkish military announced on the 3rd (local time) that four of its soldiers were killed by shelling from the Syrian government forces.
According to Al Jazeera on the same day, the Turkish Minister of National Defense stated that Turkish military casualties occurred due to an attack by Syrian government forces in Idlib, northwestern Syria, the previous day. In addition to the fatalities, nine others were injured, with one reported to be in serious condition.
The Turkish Minister of National Defense said that in response to the attack, the Turkish military launched a counterattack and destroyed the origin of the assault. He added that despite prior notification of the Turkish military's stationed locations, the Syrian forces carried out the attack.
Earlier, the Turkish military deployed large-scale forces around the Idlib area.
According to foreign media and Syrian human rights organizations, over 200 Turkish military vehicles crossed the Syrian border heading toward the Idlib area and others. As the Syrian government forces launched an offensive on Idlib, the last stronghold of the rebels, it is interpreted that the Turkish military, which had been supporting the rebels, began to take direct action. The Turkish military also declared the road area connecting Aleppo and Latakia in northwestern Syria as a military operation zone.
Previously, the Turkish military had established 12 observation posts in the Idlib area to monitor the ceasefire between Syria and the rebels.
Idlib originally had a population of 1 million, but as the rebels were defeated by government forces and refugees flooded in, the current population has reached 3 million.
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