Top Turkish military officials inspect Syrian border

By Sarp Ozer

HATAY, Turkey (AA) - Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler and high-level military officials inspected the country’s troops at point zero at the Turkey-Syria border on Friday.

Akar, Guler and commanders of Turkish land and air forces monitored the latest developments along the border.

Akar and other commanders later visited a military command center where activities in northwestern Syrian province of Idlib are managed.

On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in Moscow to a new cease-fire in Idlib.

On Feb. 27, Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield in Idlib after at least 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred last week in an Assad regime airstrike in Idlib.

Under a 2018 deal with Russia, Turkish troops were in Idlib to protect civilians from attacks by the regime and its allies as regime aggression led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians who took shelter near Turkish borders.

* Writing by Handan Kazanci in Istanbul.