Erdogan threatens Assad forces, seeks de-escalation in Idlib

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara will retaliate if Syrian regime forces do not pull back from Turkish observation posts in Idlib by the end of the month.
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan adresses the audience during the official opening of the new Cambridge Central Mosque, in Cambridge, Britain, December 5, 2019. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC23PD94I1I1
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the opening of the new Cambridge Central Mosque, in Cambridge, UK, Dec. 5, 2019. - Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/REUTERS
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Diego Cupolo
@diegocupolo

ISTANBUL — Amid an ongoing offensive in Idlib that has displaced half a million civilians, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to act against Russian-backed Syrian forces if they did not fall back from Turkish observation posts by the end of the month.

“We want the regime to immediately retreat to the borders stipulated by the Sochi agreement — in other words, to retreat behind our observation posts,” Erdogan said in the Turkish Parliament Wednesday.

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