Two dead in Idlib province: attack on Turkish soldiers in Syria


Two dead in Idlib province
Attack on Turkish soldiers in Syria

Two Turkish soldiers were probably killed in a bomb attack in northern Syria. The attack takes place in a region in which the Syrian al Qaeda branch dominates. Meanwhile, the UN is trying to revive the constitutional talks.

While the UN is trying to get talks going on a new Syrian constitution, there has been a serious attack in Idlib province. Two soldiers were killed and three others injured in an attack on a Turkish military patrol in northern Syria. The Turkish soldiers were attacked while they were on their way back from a patrol, said the Ministry of Defense in Ankara. The ministry did not provide any information on the type of attack or the attackers.

According to reporters from the AFP news agency, the Turkish military was attacked with a bomb. The attack took place on the road between the cities of Idlib and Binnisch. According to the Ministry of Defense, the injured Turkish soldiers were transported to a hospital in the southern Turkish province of Hatay.

Idlib is the last major stronghold of Islamists in Syria who are fighting the leadership in Damascus. The province in the north-west of the country is dominated by the jihadist militia Hayat Tahrir-al Scham, the former Syrian al-Qaeda offshoot. There are also other Islamist groups in the region.

In March of last year, the conflicting parties agreed on a ceasefire, mediated by Moscow and Ankara, which initially largely held. In the past few months, however, the armed attacks in Idlib have increased again. Around 500,000 people have been killed since the war in Syria began in 2011. More than 6.6 million others sought refuge abroad.

Syrian constitutional talks are stuck

The United Nations envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, tried to revive talks on a new Syrian constitution during a visit to Damascus. Pedersen met with Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad, as the state news agency Sana reported. The diplomat last traveled to Damascus in February.

Almost two years ago, a committee began its work in Geneva, which is supposed to work out a new constitution under UN mediation. After more than ten years of civil war, this should pave the way out of the crisis. The body is made up of representatives from the government, the opposition and civil society. So far, however, there has been no progress.

After the end of the last round of negotiations at the end of January, Pedersen was disappointed in view of the complete standstill. At the same time he announced that a new meeting would only be possible if there was an agreement on a procedure. The opposition accuses the Damascus government of delaying talks. The civil war in Syria has been going on since March 2011. Meanwhile, the supporters of the ruler Bashar al-Assad control around two thirds of the country again.

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