Turkey Threatens to Release Refugee Wave After Idlib Carnage

Turkey has threatened to unleash a flood of refugees on Europe after at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in Idlib in Syria in an air strike on Thursday night.

Media reports said the Turkish soldiers perished in an air strike on the northwestern Syrian town, which was the final stronghold of Turkey-backed Syrian rebels that the Damascus government and its Kremlin ally are determined to crush.

Defence Minister Hulusi Akar claimed Turkey had launched a counter-attack and had killed many Syrian soldiers. "Regime forces attacked us … and even hit ambulances. Turkey's response has caused huge damage and killed 309 regime soldiers," Akar said.

In its response to the disaster, Turkey also said it was opening its borders and sea ports for migrants who want to go to Europe.

Refugees heading toward the Greek border. Photo: Courtesy of Internet Haber

The move appeared designed to put pressure on Turkey's NATO allies to get more involved in the unfolding drama in northern Syria.

Reuters reported that the government had ordered border and sea patrols to pull back, and border guards will no longer stop migrants trying to cross into Bulgaria and Greece.

Some Turkish media reports said thousands of migrants were already on their way to the borders, aiming to reach Europe via the so-called Balkan route after the government's decision.

According to these reports, several thousand migrants had already arrived in the western border provinces of Edirne, Kırklareli, Izmir and Mugla.

Turkey blocked all social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook on Thursday night and limited internet access to stop the flow of what it called disinformation.

A crisis meeting took place at the palace of President Recep Tayyip...

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