Turkey accused Russia of bombarding the Syrian regime against a convoy of armored vehicles that claimed the lives of three civilians

A convoy of armored and ammunition of the Turkish army was attacked Monday in Syria by the Bashar al Assad regime's air force as it was heading towards the Idlib region, the last stronghold of the rebels of the country where the militias supported by Ankara face the troops of Damascus who receive a help from Russia.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense has stated that at least three civilians died and 12 were injured in aerial bombardmentswithout reporting military casualties. Unconfirmed reports also mention the death of several militia allies in Turkey during attacks, including a commander.

Although it does not provide more details, the ministry "strongly" condemns the attacks, making sure that they are contrary "the existing agreements as well as the cooperation and dialogue we have with Russia". "Urgent measures" are needed to prevent this from happening again, said the portfolio in a statement.

"Despite the repeated warnings we have sent to the authorities of the Russian Federation, military operations of regime forces continue in Idlib, in violation of memoranda and agreements in force "he added.

It was unclear whether the planes that attacked the convoy belonged to the Syrian Air Force or to that of Russia, which also operates with its fighters and bombers in the country and at the same time. 39, support of Al Assad. Although the messages from Ankara to Moscow badume that at least the Kremlin was aware of the bombing of its allies.

The tanks and ammunition were heading towards the surveillance station n ° 9 of the 12 that Turkey maintains in Idlib under an agreement reached in September 2018 with Russia to avoid the actions of the Syrian regime in the region through a truce and the formation of an "area of ​​?? # 39; scale. " The transfer of this Monday was intended "maintain open supply routes and avoid civilian casualties in the region"said the Turkish state agency Anadolu.

In pictures of the convoy distributed by the agency AFP sWe can observe at least six M60 tanks, ACV-15 infantry fighting vehicles and BMC Kirpi armored transport, an armored force not at all negligible, although in the case of the M60 it is not the most advanced car of the Turkish army.

Activists of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) reported that the bombings stopped the convoy in the city of Marat al Noman, north of Khan Sheikhoun. They also said that Syrian and Russian aircraft had participated in the attack.

Shortly before the Syrian Foreign Ministry he had protested against the presence of the column which, according to Damascus, was addressed specifically to Khan Sheikhoun, an Idlib city that has been besieged by the regime for years and it is believed that this Monday was finally taken by the troops of Damascus. It's the same place as in 2017, the forces of Al Assad attacked with chemical weapons (sarin), leaving about 100 dead and nearly 400 wounded.

The Syrian civil war began in 2011 with aA series of armed uprisings led to widespread chaos with many factions fighting on the same territory. Since then, it is estimated that between 370,000 and 570,000 people have died, 7,600,000 have been displaced from their homes and 5,100,000 have emigrated as refugees.

After more than eight years of hard fighting, the Syrian regime managed to recapture much of the territory controlled by the rebels, but the Idlib province remains in the hands of a diverse group of militias (from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's jihadists to secular groups backed by Turkey), and lands to the east of the country. Euphrates are controlled by Kurdish forces backed by the United States. .

The forces of President Al Assad, who were saved from their own collapse in 2015 thanks to Russia's political and military support, They besiege Idlib and seek to recover this last rebel enclave, although the presence of Turkey, which occupied territories in northern Syria after two incursions in 2016 and 2018, and maintains links with the militias, and its agreement with Russia Progress of ground blocked.

Turkey and the Syrian regime are going They have accused each other lately of violating the provisions of this "truce".

However, the aerial bombardment of this Monday against the Turkish army is an unprecedented novelty that risks provoking an open conflict between Turkey and Syria.

In fact, although the ground offensive at Idlib is slowed down, Russia and Syria persist in their aerial bombardment of the enclave in which live three million peopleand, as a result, an estimated 860 civilians have died since April, according to the news agency AFP. At the same time, de facto border fighting between regime forces and rebels never ended.

With information from AP and AFP