Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that 5 soldiers of the Turkish army were killed and another 5 wounded in Idlib.

According to the Ministry statement, the casualties were the result of artillery attacks carried out by the Syrian regime forces on February 10th.

The statement said that the attack was immediately retaliated and the established targets in the region were destroyed.

The Turkish state forces and allied mercenaries have launched a wave of aggression on the east of Idlib and Aleppo Monday morning. The attack was followed by fierce fighting in the region.

According to reports from the ground, as clashes intensified, Russian and Syrian fighter jets struck the Taftanaz airbase to the southeast of Idlib where Turkish forces and mercenaries are stationed.

Violent clashes with heavy weapons continue in the region. Russian and Syrian jets are reportedly carrying out strikes on north-west of Aleppo and south-east of Idlib.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), 240 Turkish military vehicles were transferred to Idlib last week. There are said to be 5,000 soldiers of the Turkish army in the region.

Since the beginning of February, a total of 1,480 military vehicles from Turkey are estimated to have arrived in Idlib. A large part of the Turkish dispatchment was deployed to Taftanaz airbase.

A second meeting between Russian and Turkish officials is expected to take place in Ankara today to discuss the situation in Idlib.

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