'Turkey to go on taking firm stand on peace in Syria'

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey will continue taking a firm stand for peace in Syria, the country's parliament speaker said on Monday, in the wake of a deadly attack on Turkish troops.

"Targeting of the gallant Turkish soldiers by the [Syrian] regime, which only fans proxy war in the region, reiterates how important Turkey's peace efforts in the region are. Turkey will continue taking a firm stand for peace." Mustafa Sentop said in a tweet.

Sentop's remarks came shortly after at least five Turkish troops were martyred and as many injured in an attack by the Assad regime forces in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province on Monday.

Last week, a similar attack in Idlib martyred seven Turkish soldiers and one civilian contractor working with the Turkish military, and injured more than a dozen people.

He said the attack came during a meeting between Turkish and Russian delegations regarding the escalating situation in Idlib.

"I offer condolences to the grieving families and our nation. I also wish speedy recovery for our injured soldiers," he said.

Idlib has been a stronghold of opposition and anti-government armed groups since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

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 1,800 civilians there have been killed in attacks by regime and Russian forces since then, flouting both the 2018 cease-fire and a new one that started on Jan. 12.

More than 1.5 million Syrians have moved toward the Turkish border due to intense attacks over the past year.

Turkey remains the country with most refugees in the world, hosting more than 3.7 million migrants since the start of the Syrian civil war.