Turkish army held up by Russian Air Forces near the Syrian city of Khan Shaykhun
A Turkish military convoy at Maarat al-Numan, Syria, has been unable to move further south due to an operation being carried out by the Russian Aerospace Forces on the international road to Khan Shaykhun, a Syria TV correspondent reported. The Turkish troops were reportedly banned from using any military transport in this region.
The channel’s sources say that the Turkish military convoy is trying to establish a new observation point near the city of Khan Shaykhun in order to take control of the international road and other approach roads leading to it. According to the sources, the Turkish army could take the “Tiger Hill” to the south of the city, “Tel Nar”, or one of the hills near the city of Hayesh.
On August 19, the Syrian Foreign Ministry reported that Turkish armored vehicles were moving towards Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib province, a city that the Syrian army is currently fighting for. “Turkish armored transports have violated the Syrian border and entered the city of Saraqib, they are moving towards Khan Shaykhun,” the ministry said, as cited by Syria TV.
A correspondent told the Syrian TV channel that the Turkish convoy was comprised of 28 armored vehicles, including seven tanks and six armored transports, as well as trucks transporting Turkish troops and munitions. The convoy was headed for the Turkish observation point north of Hama.
A source told the Syrian government news agency SANA that the Turkish convoy included trucks with ammunition and weapons intended for the Al-Nusra Front terrorist group, which has suffered significant losses in the recent encounters with Syrian government forces.