Turkey retaliates after regime shelling kills troops

Turkey said it retaliated on Feb. 10 after intense shelling by Syrian forces killed five soldiers and wounded five others in Syria's northern Idlib province, a marked escalation a week after a similarly deadly clash between the two sides.

The exchange of fire came as a Russian delegation held a second round of talks in the Turkish capital of Ankara to discuss the fighting in Idlib province, which has uprooted more than a half-million people in the past two months. No statement was issued at the end of the talks.

The fighting led to the collapse of a cease-fire brokered by Turkey and Russia in 2018. Turkey supports the Syrian opposition, while Russia heavily backs the Syrian regime's campaign to retake the area, which is the last rebel stronghold in Syria.
The fighting has led Turkey to send hundreds of military vehicles and troops into Idlib province in the past week, bringing both countries' forces into direct confrontation, a rarity in the Syrian conflict.

Eight Turkish soldiers and civilian personnel and 13 regime soldiers were killed in a clash in the province last week. Turkey has warned Syria to retreat to cease-fire lines that were agreed in 2018.

The Turkish Defense Ministry said its five troops that were killed and those who were wounded were reinforcements that had been sent to Idlib.

"Our fire support vehicles immediately fired on the targets with intensity and the necessary response was given," the ministry said.

The statement did not say where the attack took place but local media reported that it was at Taftanaz.

A later statement said the retaliation was in line with Turkey's rules of engagement and its right to self-defense.

At least 115 Syrian positions were...