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Turkey has completed preparations for a military operation in Idlib, Syria and will launch an offensive if the government forces don't withdraw, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his party's parliamentary group.
Erdoğan's remarks came after a phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump and a failed round of talks with Russia yesterday (February 18).
Syria's army, backed by Russia and Iran, has recently captured large territories from Turkey-backed armed groups in northwestern Syria. Turkey, meanwhile, has been sending reinforcements, including tanks, artillery and thousands of troops, to Idlib province.
Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın admitted yesterday that "they could not reach a breakthrough" and that Turkey rejected proposed documents and maps by Russia.
Also conceding that the talks with Russia did not yield results, Erdoğan went on to say, "Now we are giving the last warnings."
"These are the last days for the regime to withdraw from Idlib and these are our last warnings," the President remarked. "We could arrive suddenly one night."
"We will not leave Idlib to the regime, which still fail to understand our determination, and those who encourage it," he added.
"Turkey is determined to transform Idlib into a safe place both for Turkey and the region's people," Erdoğan asserted.
CLICK - Defense Minister: Turkey to 'Control the Field' in Idlib
Phone talk with Trump
Trump said after the phone talk with Erdoğan that "He doesn't want people to be killed by the thousands, and hundreds of thousands" and that Washington and Ankara are "working together to determine what could be done."
"You have a lot of warring going on right now, a lot of warring going on, but I am dealing with President Erdogan," Trump told reporters.
Syria's operation has led to the displacement of 900 thousand people since December, according to the United Nations (UN).
Mark Lowcock, the UN's humanitarian affairs chief, said yesterday that "indiscriminate" violence in the region reached "a horrifying new level." (TP/EKN/VK)
