Syrian Turkmen hail US missile hit on regime air base

By Halil Fidan

SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) - Emin Bozoglan, head of the Syrian Turkmen Assembly, hailed Friday’s U.S. missile strike on Syria’s Shayrat military air base, saying: "I hope this attitude will continue".

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, he said such actions were necessary to “put an end to the Assad regime’s tyranny”.

Recalling Tuesday’s deadly chemical attack in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, Bozoglan said Friday’s missile barrage had shown the “resolve” of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The previous U.S. president didn’t take any actions like this [against Syria’s Assad regime] despite the regime’s cruelty, crimes against humanity and murder of innocents,” he said.

"Unfortunately, due to information given to Russia and the [Syrian] regime, military equipment and troops were evacuated [in advance of Friday’s missile strike]," he added.

“Nevertheless,” Bozoglan continued, “this incident shows that if the U.S. wants to end the war, peace can be obtained shortly thereafter."

The Turkmen leader went on to assert that the establishment of a no-flight zone in Syria would help achieve peace in the short term.

"This will serve to intimidate Russia,” he said. “We hope the [Assad] regime will halt its attacks and refrain from shedding innocent blood.”

In the early hours of Friday, U.S. destroyers deployed in the Mediterranean fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at Syria’s Shayrat air base, which American officials say had been used to carry out Tuesday’s deadly chemical attack.

The Kremlin, for its part, has condemned the U.S. missile strike as "aggression against a sovereign nation”.

According to Syrian military officials, six people were killed in Friday’s missile barrage.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara