This photo provided by the activist-operated Thiqa News Agency, shows a Turkish military convoy heading toward the town of Khan Sheikhoun, in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. The Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition crossed into northern Syria Monday and moved south through rebel-held areas before it was stopped by airstrikes that struck near the highway where the convoy was moving, opposition activists said. (Thiqa News Agency via AP)

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Latest on developments in Syria as the government offensive intensifies on the country's last rebel stronghold (all times local):

Turkey says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians. There was no immediate word on any Turkish casualties in the attack.

The Defense Ministry says 12 other civilians were wounded in Monday's strikes, which took place as the Turkish convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the Syrian rebel-held stronghold of Idlib.

The ministry didn't provide other details but "strongly condemned" the airstrikes, adding they were contrary to "existing agreements as well as our cooperation and dialogue with Russia."

It called for "urgent measures" to prevent a repeat of the incident.

It wasn't immediately clear who was behind the strikes, Syrian or Russian warplanes. Turkey has 12 observation posts in and on the edge of Idlib as part of an agreement reached with Russia.

Syrian activists say that airstrikes halted a Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition after it crossed into northern Syria earlier in the day, bound for a rebel-held stronghold.

They say the strikes hit near the highway where the convoy was moving on Monday. It wasn't immediately clear whether it was Syrian government or Russian warplanes that struck near the convoy but the development marked a sharp escalation in tensions in the northwestern province of Idlib where Syrian troops have been on the offensive for weeks.

Syria's Foreign Ministry slammed Turkey, saying the convoy consisted of armored vehicles loaded with ammunition and was heading to Khan Sheikhoun, a major rebel-held town in Idlib province, the country's last rebel stronghold.

Turkey backs the rebels who have been in control of the region since 2012, while Russia backs Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, which has vowed to take back Idlib. </s> DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Airstrikes halted a Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition after it crossed into northern Syria on Monday, bound for a rebel-held stronghold, opposition activists said.

The strikes hit near the highway where the convoy was moving, the activists said.

It was not immediately clear whether it was Syrian government or Russian warplanes that struck near the convoy but the development marked a sharp escalation in tensions in the northwestern province of Idlib where Syrian troops have been on the offensive for weeks.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry slammed Turkey, saying the convoy consisted of armored vehicles loaded with ammunition and was heading to Khan Sheikhoun, a major rebel-held town in Idlib province, the country’s last rebel stronghold.

Turkey backs the rebels who have been in control of the region since 2012, while Russia backs Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, which has vowed to take back Idlib. There was no immediate official word from Turkey, which has 12 observation posts in and on the edge of Idlib province, about a convoy headed to Syria.

Turkey’s private DHA news agency said Syrian government planes targeted the route of a Turkish military convoy carrying reinforcement vehicles and personnel. It said the convoy was heading toward two Turkish observation posts in the region when it came under Syrian aircraft fire.

The report said the convoy could not proceed because the route between Maaret al Numan and Khan Sheikhoun was targeted, so it sheltered at a safe location. The agency did not report any casualties.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said airstrikes believed to be Russian struck near the highway and forced the nearly 25-vehicle Turkish convoy to stop.

Mazen al-Shami, an opposition activist based in Idlib, also said that warplanes struck areas near where the Turkish convoy was moving. The Sham Network, an activist collective, posted photos of the Turkish convoy: A mushroom of smoke, apparently from the airstrike, could be seen in the distance.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry called the convoy’s incursion a “flagrant Turkish intervention,” saying it had reached Saraqeb, a town north of Khan Sheikoun, early Monday.

Syrian government troops reached the western outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun earlier in the day. The pro-government Al-Watan online and the Observatory reported that Syrian troops have entered Khan Sheikhoun from the northwest.

The ministry said “this hostile behavior of the Turkish regime” would not affect Syrian troops’ push into Khan Sheikhoun.

Syrian troops have been on the offensive in Idlib and its surroundings since April 30. The region is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced in other battles around the wartorn country. The latest round of fighting in the past month has displaced some 450,000 people.

Khan Sheikhoun is a stronghold of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful group in the rebel-held areas. The town was the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people. </s> BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:40 A.M.) – The Turkish Air Force allegedly deployed some of their warplanes to the southern countryside of the Idlib Governorate after the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) scored a series of gains near the city of Khan Sheikhoun.

According to the aviation publication Avia.Pro, two Russian Su-35 jets intercepted the Turkish warplanes and forced them to leave Syria’s airspace.

“The Su-35 fighters escorted and guarded the Syrian Air Force when they were attacking Khan Sheikhoun after threats from Turkey,” Avia.Pro reported, citing a Telegram military channel.

While these claims are not confirmed, the Turkish military did send two large convoys to the northern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun after their allied militant forces lost a great deal of ground to the Syrian Arab Army around the city.

It is worth noting that both the Syrian and Turkish air defenses have downed each others warplanes during the Syrian conflict, with the latest incident in 2017.
• Government Troops Are Storming Khan Shaykhun After Cutting Off M5 Highway North Of It (Maps)
• Turkey ‘Condemns’ Syrian Strike On Its Convoy In Greater Idlib, Claims 3 Civilians Were Killed
• Israeli stealth bombers flew undetected over Syria and Iraq during July attack: report

Filed under: Erdogan, Russia, SAA, Syria, Turkey, War on Syria | Tagged: Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib, Putin-Erdogan-Idlib | </s> The Latest: Turkey says its army convoy targeted in Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Latest on developments in Syria as the government offensive intensifies on the country's last rebel stronghold (all times local):

Turkey says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians. There was no immediate word on any Turkish casualties in the attack.

The Defense Ministry says 12 other civilians were wounded in Monday's strikes, which took place as the Turkish convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the Syrian rebel-held stronghold of Idlib.

The ministry didn't provide other details but "strongly condemned" the airstrikes, adding they were contrary to "existing agreements as well as our cooperation and dialogue with Russia."

It called for "urgent measures" to prevent a repeat of the incident.

It wasn't immediately clear who was behind the strikes, Syrian or Russian warplanes. Turkey has 12 observation posts in and on the edge of Idlib as part of an agreement reached with Russia.

Syrian activists say that airstrikes halted a Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition after it crossed into northern Syria earlier in the day, bound for a rebel-held stronghold.

They say the strikes hit near the highway where the convoy was moving on Monday. It wasn't immediately clear whether it was Syrian government or Russian warplanes that struck near the convoy but the development marked a sharp escalation in tensions in the northwestern province of Idlib where Syrian troops have been on the offensive for weeks.

Syria's Foreign Ministry slammed Turkey, saying the convoy consisted of armored vehicles loaded with ammunition and was heading to Khan Sheikhoun, a major rebel-held town in Idlib province, the country's last rebel stronghold.

Turkey backs the rebels who have been in control of the region since 2012, while Russia backs Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, which has vowed to take back Idlib. </s> Alwaght- Syrian Air Force's heavy bombing has stopped a Turkish military convoy that has crossed into Syrian territory.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Monday that Turkish armored vehicles were heading for the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the province of Idlib, where Syrian government forces were fighting terrorists, according to the state channel Syria TV.

The Syrian Air Force nearly hit the Turkish military convoy that was passing through the area. According to Turkey's Demirören News Agency (DHA ,)t he route of the convoy, which included additional troops and vehicles to be deployed in No. 9 observation point in Morek and No. 10 observation point in Zawiyah, was hit in airstrikes, and the convoy was made to stop in a safe location.

As shown in the video below, smoke can be seen billowing from the site as the Turkish military convoy continues to pass through the area.

Syrian armed forces entered the town of Khan Sheikhoun on Sunday, amid heavy fighting with al-Nusra Front* terrorists and their allies, targeting their positions and inflicting heavy losses on militants, the SANA news agency reported.

After two days of negotiations on Syria in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan, a conditional ceasefire came into force on 2 August in Idlib. The Syrian Armed Forces said they would stop fighting provided Turkey fulfills its obligations under the Russian-Turkish agreement reached in September 2018 in Sochi, namely the withdrawal of militants' heavy and medium weapons 20 kilometres away from the lines of Idlib's de-escalation zone.

Three days later, the army resumed the military operation against terrorist groups in Idlib due to their failure to respect the ceasefire and the Sochi memorandum of 2018. </s> ANKARA (Reuters) - A warplane probably belonging to the Syrian air force crashed on the Turkish side of the border with Syria on Saturday and the pilots appeared to have bailed out, a local Turkish governor was quoted as saying.

Syrian state television quoted an army source as saying the air force had lost contact with a fighter jet on a mission near the Turkish border and that a search was under way to find the pilot.

Turkish news agency Dogan cited Hatay provincial Governor Erdal Ata as saying the wreckage of the plane had been found on the fringes of the Amanos mountains. It was not clear why it had crashed.

“We have the impression that the pilots bailed out as the cockpit was empty when the wreckage was found,” Ata said.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim had earlier suggested it had come down on the Syrian side. “It’s not clear why the plane crashed. It may be due to weather conditions,” he said.

Combat operations by many militia and government forces come close to Turkey’s long frontier.

Turkey has been one of the foremost critics of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and supports rebels fighting him in the country’s six-year-old war. It currently has armed forces involved in operations along the Syrian side of the frontier. </s> Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Syria has condemned the convoy as an act of aggression and says it is heading for the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun

A Syrian government air strike aiming to stop a Turkish convoy reaching a rebel-held town in northern Syria has killed three civilians, Turkey alleges.

Another 12 people were injured in the attack in Idlib province on Monday, the Turkish defence ministry said.

Idlib, one of the few areas not under government control, was supposed to be protected by a buffer zone agreed with rebel-backing Turkey last year.

But government assaults have been on the increase since April.

Hundreds of civilians have already been killed as a result, and there are fears many more will die if the situation continues to escalate.

"This is our worst nightmare coming true," Jan Egeland, from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), told the BBC.

"We have for years now warned against the ultimate catastrophe being Idlib, where there was no escape for three million civilians. There are some very bad militants inside.

"But a wholesale attack on this area of Idlib and adjacent northern Hama would mean that a million children would come in horrific crossfire, and it's that that now seems to be happening."

Why is Turkey sending a convoy into Syria?

Turkey, which backs some, but not all, the rebels, has forces in Idlib as part of last year's agreement with Russia.

According to Naji Mustafa, a spokesman for the National Liberation Front rebel grouping, the convoy was heading to one of its observation points with "reinforcements" when the attack took place.

An AFP correspondent who saw the convoy reported it included about 50 armoured vehicles, at least five of which were tanks.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The story of the picture showing a Syrian family's harrowing moment after an air strike

But Syria has said the convoy's arrival in the region is an act of aggression. It said the munitions would not stop government forces "hunting the remnants of terrorists".

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Russian aircraft carried out strikes near the convoy on 19 August.

Turkey has said the attack breaches last year's agreement, with the incident raising fears of direct clashes between the countries.

Why is this happening now?

After eight years of war, the Syrian government is trying to win back control of the last rebel-held areas.

Government forces, backed by Russia, reportedly entered the northwest outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun on Sunday.

Khan Sheikhoun, which was hit by a Sarin gas attack in 2017, lies on a highway connecting Damascus to Aleppo and is a strategically important town in the south of the province.

If it is captured, it will mean the Syrian regime has effectively encircled a rebel-held area to the south, which includes a Turkish observation post in the town of Morek.

Mr Mustafa told AFP the convoy was heading to Morek.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A young face destroyed by war: The impact of an airstrike one year on

Syrian forces have now massed to both the east and west of Khan Sheikhoun, and air strikes are targeting the centre and surrounding villages.

Last week a Syrian government war plane was shot down in the area, hit by an anti-aircraft missile fired by militants, according to Syrian state news agency Sana.

Jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has claimed responsibility and released footage purportedly showing the captured pilot.

A colonel from a rebel faction confirmed to Reuters news agency that there were battles going on on the outskirts. Fighters from a Turkish-backed rebel force have joined the defence, he said.

The Syria crisis: Five questions, answered

How did the war start?

The country descended into war after President Bashar al-Assad's government used deadly force to crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, who took to the streets in March 2011 demanding political freedom.

Who is fighting who?

That's complicated: President Assad's regime is fighting rebel groups ranging from pro-democracy groups to jihadist extremists, while a number of foreign powers are providing support to various sides.

How many people have died?

It is not known exactly, as death tolls vary according to the source, but it is estimated to stand at more than 500,000 dead or missing.

How many refugees are there?

More than 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011, with another 6.6 million internally displaced, according to the United Nations.

What has happened to President Assad?

His position looked tenuous at one point during the eight year conflict, but thanks to international allies like Russia and Iran, President Assad has won back control of most of Syria, and has set his sights on Idlib. </s> A Turkey Armed Forces convoy is seen at a highway between Maaret al-Numan and Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. The Turkish Defense Ministry says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians and wounding 12 others in Monday's attack that occurred while the convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the rebel-held stronghold of Idlib. (Murat Kibritoglu/DHA via AP)

A Turkey Armed Forces convoy is seen at a highway between Maaret al-Numan and Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. The Turkish Defense Ministry says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians and wounding 12 others in Monday's attack that occurred while the convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the rebel-held stronghold of Idlib. (Murat Kibritoglu/DHA via AP)

BEIRUT (AP) — The main insurgent group in the Syrian province of Idlib pulled out of a key rebel town as government forces advanced in the area on Tuesday amid intense bombardment and airstrikes, a militant group and opposition activists said.

As the militants withdrew, government troops moved into northern and western neighborhoods of Khan Sheikhoun, marking a significant gain for President Bashar Assad’s forces as they try to chip away at territory controlled by the opposition in Idlib. The northwestern province, dominated by an al-Qaida-linked faction, is the last major rebel-held bastion in Syria.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Syria’s main al-Qaida-linked faction, said in a statement that its fighters carried out “a re-deployment,” withdrawing to areas south of the town of Khan Sheikhoun. From there, they would continue to defend the territory, it said.

Syrian state TV said government troops have expanded their presence in the Khan Sheikhoun area, without giving further details.

“The victories that were achieved show the determination of the people and the army to strike terrorists, until all parts of Syria are liberated,” Assad said, according to comments released by his office.

The withdrawal is a blow to the opposition. Syrian government forces have been on the offensive in Idlib and northern parts of Hama province since April 30, forcing nearly half a million people to flee to safer areas further north. The fighting also killed more than 2,000 people, including hundreds of civilians.

After months of intense bombardment, the insurgents’ defenses appear to be crumbling as they are now losing ground at a much faster pace compared with the first three months of the government push.

In the long-running Syrian civil war, now in its ninth year, the northwestern region — where Turkish, Russian, U.S. and Iranian interests are at stake — has taken center stage in the conflict.

The latest government gains come as NATO allies Turkey and the U.S. are discussing setting up a buffer inside Syria — one that Ankara wants to push Syrian Kurdish fighters it considers terrorists further to the east.

There has been speculation, meanwhile, that Russia and Turkey, which back rival sides in Syria’s conflict, have reached an agreement that would allow the Syrian army to retake parts of Idlib and reopen a highway that links the capital, Damascus, with the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest.

Khan Sheikhoun, which had been held by militants since 2014, sits on that highway.

After the capture of Khan Sheikhoun, Syrian troops are likely now to move north toward Maaret al-Numan, another town on the highway that has been subjected to intense airstrikes over the past days. Opposition activists also reported intense bombardment on the rebel-held town of Jisr al-Shughour on the southwestern edge of Idlib on Tuesday.

Backed by Russian air power, Syrian troops were able to enter parts of Khan Sheikhoun overnight, according to opposition activists, and are now clearing the area abandoned by militants of explosives and booby traps.

“After fierce bombardment by the criminal enemy that avoids direct confrontation with holy warriors by implementing a scorched earth policy, our fighters have redeployed south of Khan Sheihoun,” the statement said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other insurgent groups withdrew from Khan Sheikhoun as well as the towns and villages south of the town.

According to the Observatory, Khan Sheikhoun was home to about 1 million people, nearly 700,000 of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country, before the government offensive began in April. In recent days hundreds of civilians remained in the town according to the group that tracks Syria’s war, now in its ninth year.

The Syrian Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria, called on Tuesday for a “humanitarian truce” to allow civilians who are stuck in the areas of fighting to leave. The group said in a statement the Russia and Syrian governments “are practicing terrorism against civilians” in violation of international laws.

Khan Sheikhoun was a stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked militant faction, the most powerful group in rebel-held areas in Syria. The town was also the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.

At the time, the United States, Britain and France pointed a finger at the Syrian government, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria, saying the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.

The Syrian government and its Russian allies denied there was a chemical attack.

Also Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the Syrian government against “playing with fire,” a day after an airstrikes targeted a Turkish army convoy near Khan Sheikoun, killing 3 civilians.

Cavusoglu said the convoy was on its way to provide “security” to a Turkish observation post in Idlib. Syria said the convoy was carrying ammunition to rebels.

“We will do what is necessary for the security of our soldiers ... but we are working to avoid reaching that point,” he said. </s> A Islamist rebel group has claimed responsibility for shooting down a Syrian government fighter jet that crashed on Turkish soil.

Ahrar al-Sham released a video claiming to show the plane being shot down with an anti-aircraft gun, but Bashar al-Assad's military said it crashed due to technical difficulties.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said a Syrian government MiG had crashed at the edge of the Amanos mountains near the town of Samandag in Hatay province.

Governor Erdal Ata told the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu that rescue teams had found the wreckage but the cockpit was empty – confirming earlier reports by villagers who say they had seen pilots ejecting.

Mr Ata said there had been no airspace violation and no intervention by Turkish forces.

The crash follows several years of tensions between Turkey and Syria that led to two Syrian helicopters and a MiG jet being shot down for violating Turkish airspace, as well as Russian aircraft flying missions in support of Assad.

A Russian military plane was similarly shot down by Turkey for violating airspace in 2015, leading to months of tension between Ankara and Moscow.

Ahrar al-Sham, an Islamist alliance that controls large swathes of Idlib province, claimed the jet it was downed using a 23 millimetre machine gun as it was bombing the countryside in the north-west of the province.

Turkish media said earlier that villagers had called authorities to report the crash at around 6.30pm local time.
Syrian Air Force warplanes repeatedly strike a Turkish military convoy driving through the rebel-held region of Idlib, reportedly causing several casualties and forcing it to stop. Turkey claims the convoy was aiming to supply observation posts, while Syria accuses it of carrying weapons and ammunition to rebel groups.