The threat of a Russia-Turkey-NATO hot war over Idlib is a godsend for US foreign policy
By Darius Shahtahmasebi
28 Feb, 2020
Turkey is calling for NATO’s protection after 33 of its soldiers were killed in an apparent Syrian airstrike in Idlib, allegedly while fighting in terrorist ranks. In the regional chaos that ensues, only one player stands to gain.
Speculation over what’s to come next has seen #article 5 trending on Twitter in the hours following the attacks, after Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkey’s ruling AKP party, indicated to reporters in Ankara that he was looking at requesting formal NATO protection against Damascus and, by proxy, the Russian air force.
“We call on NATO to [start] consultations. This is not [an attack] on Turkey only, it is an attack on the international community. A common reaction is needed. The attack was also against NATO,” Celik told Turkish media.
Article 5 of the NATO treaty says an attack on one member is an attack on them all.
The US State Department also condemned the attack, stating that it stands by its “NATO ally Turkey.” It further stated that it continues to “call for an immediate end to this despicable offensive by the Assad regime, Russia and Iranian-backed forces.” Never one to let us down, the US envoy to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchinson also told journalists that “everything is on the table.”
Read more at https://www.rt.com/op-ed/481899-russia-turkey-nato-syria/
Last Updates on the Idlib: Are Turkey and Russia on the brink of war?
By Elif İlhamoğlu
|02/28/2020
33 Turkish soldiers have been killed as a result of an airstrike in the Syrian province of Idlib, Rahmi Dogan, the governor of the Hatay province, located close to the Turkish border with Syria, said.
The governor also said 32 wounded are in the hospitals in the country’s southern province of Hatay and their condition is not life-threatening.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold a six-hour-long emergency security meeting in Ankara following the air strike on Turkish soldiers.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also spoke to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg by telephone following the attack.
Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities remarked that Turkish Armed Forces have destroyed a total of 1,709 “Syrian regime elements” in operations in Idlib since February 10, 2020.
Turkey’s Defence Minister with commanders of air and land forces went to Hatay, to monitor the following steps to be taken.
Read more at https://uwidata.com/8337-last-updates-on-the-idlib-are-turkey-and-russia-on-the-brink-of-war/
