Failure to reign in Idlib jihadists makes trouble for Turkey
A year after the Sochi agreement, the situation in Syria’s northwest remains as tense as ever.
A year ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded the Sochi agreement aimed at de-escalating the situation in Syria’s troubled Idlib province. Now, the situation in the region continues to escalate, with Ankara facing the prospect of seeing its worst nightmares come true.
With civilians displaced from other parts of the country, Idlib is crammed with nearly four million people today. Many have started to head toward the Turkish border again to escape Russian-backed Syrian regime's attacks.
A new influx of Syrians would be a disaster for Ankara while it is already struggling to cope with over 3.5 million refugees in the country.
Meanwhile, Aug. 30's rioting at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing by Syrians trying to force their way into Turkey offered a vision of things to come. Turkish security forces used tear gas and fired into the air to disperse the demonstrators, who burned Turkish flags and posters of Erdogan.
