x

Russia sends warships to Syria, blames Ankara for killing of Turkish troops

Russia on Friday said it was sending two warships armed with cruise missiles to waters off the Syrian coast and blamed Ankara for the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in Syria’s Idlib region the previous day.

The killing of the Turkish soldiers on Thursday and the wounding of 32 others, announced by the governor in Turkey’s Hatay province bordering Syria, raised the Turkish military death toll in the region to 54 this month.

Turkey has sent thousands of troops and heavy military hardware into Syria and Erdogan has warned that Turkey will launch a full-scale offensive to repel Syrian forces unless they pull back from Turkish observation posts in the region.

Though trying to coordinate their efforts on Syria, Russia backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey backs rebel forces opposing Assad.

A senior Turkish official, responding to Thursday’s killings, said that Ankara would no longer stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe.

Turkey blamed an air strike by Syrian government forces for the deaths.

Russia’s Defence Ministry was cited by the RIA news agency, saying that the Turkish troops had been hit by artillery fire from Syrian government forces who were trying to repel an offensive by rebel forces.

It was quoted as saying that Ankara had failed to notify Moscow of the presence of Turkish troops in the area hit by shelling despite being in regular communication with the Russian military.

The ministry said that the Turkish troops had been deployed directly alongside anti-government rebels.

However, according to information provided by Turkey, there were no Turkish troops in the area and Russia said that Turkish forces “shouldn’t have been there”.

It added that Russian war planes did not carry out any air strikes in the area at the time of the incident and Moscow did everything it could to help once it learnt of the Turkish troop presence.

It included ensuring Syrian forces stopped shelling to allow Turkey to evacuate its dead and wounded.

Separately, as tensions between Ankara and Damascus rose, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was cited by the Interfax news agency as saying it is sending two warships equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles to waters off the Syrian coast.

Hot this week

Editors Urge Government To Create Safe, Enabling Environment For Journalists

· Ask security agents to find missing Vanguard journalist As...

EXCLUSIVE: Buhari orders probe of Isa Funtua, AMCON over keystone and Etisalat

Following the controversy generated by the leading opposition party,...

6 Signs your boyfriend thinks you are ugly -Take note of No. 2

They say there are three kinds of people; the...

2023: South-East, Middle Belt Forum Endorses Peter Obi

The South-East and Middle Belt Forum has endorsed the...

Man United Submit €85m Bid for Leipzig Striker Benjamin Sesko – Report

Manchester United have reportedly made a formal bid of...

Tonto Dikeh Breaks Silence on Mohbad Controversy Allegations

Veteran Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh, has responded to allegations...

NGO Condemns Misrepresentation of Andy Liu’s Visit to Nigeria’s First Lady

A non-governmental organization, SINOAFRIK Media Documentation and Development Network,...

NGO Trains 1,000 Kaduna Poly Students in Vocational, Digital Skills

In a bid to tackle youth unemployment and promote...

2027: South-West PDP Will Lead Move to Unseat Tinubu – Gbenga Hashim Group

The Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement has declared that the...

WWII Victory: Global Youth Issue Peace Initiative at Beijing Conference

In a historic gathering at Peking University, representatives of...

Protect and Improve Your Eyesight with These Simple Daily Habits

Your eyes are one of your most precious assets...

Made Kuti Reveals Fela Kuti Died Poor Despite Global Fame

Nigerian afrobeat artist and multi-instrumentalist, Omorinmade Anikulapo Kuti, popularly...
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

spot_imgspot_img