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Turkey gets comfortable in northern Syria

Turkey appears to be preparing to remain in Syrian areas under its control without much thought for the long-term financial and political costs.
A boy wearing a Turkish flag stands next to a Turkish soldier in the town of Tal Abyad, Syria October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1FEACF7860

Turkey continues to entrench itself militarily in northern Syria and all signs indicate that it is preparing to remain in parts of the region that it controls for the long haul. Ankara is setting up local governments and the institutional infrastructure overseen by Turkish military and civilian officials.

According to local sources, Ankara has deployed more than 10,000 troops to the region and sent over 7,000 military trucks and armored vehicles including tanks in Idlib province since February. The ongoing deployment includes state-of-the-art air defense systems. 

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