the Turkish military established its 44th “observation post” in the so-called Greater Idlib region in northwest Syria.
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the post was established near the town of Bsanqul in the western Idlib countryside. The town is located less than 2 kilometers to the northern of the strategic M4 highway.
In the last two days Turkey established two similar “observation posts” near the town of Ram Hamden in northern Idlib and al-Jinah in northwest Aleppo.
Moreover, Turkish military reinforcements continued to arrive in Greater Idlib. Two convoys, consisting of 110 military vehicles, entered the Syrian region on March 20.
A recent report by the SOHR revealed that Turkey has deployed up to 1,400 military vehicles in Greater Idlib since the beginning of the ceasefire. Russia and Turkey agreed to impose a new ceasefire in the region on March 5.
A day earlier, a convoy of the Turkish military came under attack on the M4. Two soldiers were killed as a result. After the incident, Turkish forces reopened the highway, that links the coastal city of Lattakia with Aleppo city. Nevertheless, radical militants blocked the highway again within a few hours.
Turkey, that is rushing into strengthen its military presence in Greater Idlib, maybe overestimating its influence in the Syrian region.