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It
was the second day of reinforcements of the Turkish military presence on the
border near the northern Syrian province of Idlib, the last major rebel
stronghold in Syria.
On
January 11, a Turkish security source said the Turkish army had been rotating
forces in and out of the region, and declined to say whether the latest
movement was in preparation for an operation inside Idlib province itself.
US
President Donald Trump announced last month that he had decided to withdraw
US troops from Syria. The decision injected new uncertainty into the
eight-year-long Syrian war and spurred a flurry of contacts over how a
resulting security vacuum will be filled across northern and eastern Syria
where the US forces are stationed.
On
the one hand, Turkey aims to pursue a campaign against Kurdish forces that
have allied with the United States, and on the other the Russia- and
Iran-backed Syrian government sees the chance to recover a huge chunk of
territory.
US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on January 12 he was optimistic that a
"good outcome" could be achieved that protects both Turkey and the
Syrian Kurds, after speaking to Turkey's foreign minister.
Earlier
on January 12, the Turkish defence minister, chief of general staff and the
intelligence agency head visited border military units and discussed
"measures to establish peace and stability in the region," the
ministry said in a statement.
"We
are making every effort to preserve the ceasefire and stability in Idlib, in
line with the Sochi agreement. Our close cooperation with Russia
continues," Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said.
Akar's
comments came a day after Russia said it remained committed to an agreement
it had struck with Turkey to stabilise a de-escalation zone in Idlib, but
said Moscow was worried by an increase in the number of ceasefire violations
there.
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