A strike that was carried out on Thursday left 33 Turkish soldiers dead in the northwestern part of the Idlib province in Syria; The European Union warns of this escalating into a ‘serious conflict’; Russia is denying involvement in the strike.
A strike that was carried out in the northwestern portion of the Idlib province in Syria on Thursday left 33 Turkish soldiers dead. Several reports indicate that the Syrian Army is responsible for the attack though others believe Russian aircraft was involved despite their denial. In response, the European Union is warning that this could escalate into a ‘serious conflict’, though, it seems it has already reached that point.
Due to the increase of tension on Thursday, a group of officials advising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan informed him that Ankara is prepared to go to war with Russia. The strike that was carried out on Turkey is reported to be the deadliest strike they’ve experienced in nearly 30 years. Turkish President Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone today with the intent of finding a way to resolve this situation.
In addition to the back and forth between the three countries inside of Syria, Turkey has now vowed to open the floodgates for Syrian refugees to flee into Europe basically unchecked, which will likely create another migrant crisis. Turkey is home to the most Syrian migrants in the Middle East, most of whom have been driven from their homes due to the civil war between the rebels and the regime of President Assad. Russia is allied with Assad while Turkey backs the rebels.
Adding insult to injury, nearly a dozen Turkish soldiers were also killed in Libya overnight in a bombing that was carried out by the Libyan National Army (LNA) at the Maitika Airport that is located in Tripoli.