Syrian regime to pay heaviest price: Turkey’s ruling party

By Davut Demircan

ANKARA (AA) - The “murderer regime” in Syria and those who encourage them will pay the heaviest price for their treachery, Turkey's ruling party spokesman said on early Friday.

In a Twitter post, Omer Celik, the spokesman of the Justice and Development Party, extended his condolences to the families of the Turkish soldiers, who were martyred in an airstrike by the Bashar al-Assad regime forces in Idlib, northwestern Syria on late Sunday.

At least 29 Turkish soldiers were martyred and 36 others injured in the attack.

Celik wished quick recovery to the injured.

He underlined that the heinous attack will meet with a response it deserved.

Celik said Turkey is determined to continue its struggle in line with international law to achieve its targets.

Also speaking at a Turkish television, Celik said Turkey’s refugee policy has not changed, but Turkey will no longer be able to hold the refugees.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

But more than 1,300 civilians have been killed in attacks by the regime and Russian forces in the de-escalation zone since then as the cease-fire continues to be violated.

The de-escalation zone is currently home to 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-torn country.

More than 1.7 million Syrians have moved near the Turkish border due to intense attacks.

Since the eruption of the bloody civil war in Syria in 2011, Turkey has taken in some 3.7 million Syrians who fled their country, making it the world’s top refugee-hosting country.