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Turkey amasses force of Syrian rebel factions at Idlib

It's not clear what plans Ankara has for the National Liberation Front, a collection of Syrian opposition groups Turkey has established at Idlib.
Rebel fighters from the Suqur Al-Sham brigades take a position in the countryside of the northern Idlib province on August 17, 2018. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)        (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Bargaining between Russia and Turkey on a potential military operation at Idlib, Syria keeps getting bogged down in endless debate over distinguishing “moderates" from "terrorists.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hosted his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Ankara Aug. 13-14. He responded to the Russian persistence for an operation with “We have to identify the terrorists and eliminate them. It will be a catastrophe to bomb schools and hospitals because there may be terrorists there. We must distinguish between the moderate opposition and terrorists.”

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