‘184 regime troops neutralized’ in N.Syria

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish National Defense Ministry on Thursday said it neutralized scores of Bashar al-Assad regime troops, military vehicles, and weapons in the past 24 hours as part of its recent military operation in northern Syria.

In an official statement, the ministry said Turkey’s military operation successfully continued with aerial and ground assistance.

“4 tanks, 5 cannons/MLRSs [Multi Launch Rocket System], 3 anti-tank weapons, 8 military vehicles, 2 machine gun vehicles, 2 armored vehicles were destroyed in the past 24 hours,” said the statement.

It added: “184 regime troops were neutralized as well.”

On March 1, Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield in northwestern Syria after at least 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred in a Syrian regime airstrike in Idlib late February.

The regime and its allies have consistently broken the terms of the 2018 cease-fire and a new one that started on Jan. 12, launching frequent attacks inside the territory. This has resulted in casualties, as well as a recent influx of irregular migrants along the border of Turkey, which already hosts over 3.7 million Syrians.