Turkey And Syria Hold Covert Contacts To Avoid Conflict

Turkish army vehicles are moving on a road near the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province, Turkey, October 18. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

Reuters: Wary foes Turkey and Syria hold covert contacts to avoid conflict

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey is holding covert contacts with Syria’s government to avert direct conflict in northeast Syria where both sides have deployed their armies, Turkish officials say, despite Ankara’s long-standing hostility to President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan backs rebels who fought to topple Assad during Syria’s eight-year civil war. He described Assad as a terrorist and called for him to be driven from power, something which earlier in the war appeared possible.

But Assad’s allies Russia and Iran helped turn the conflict round and with U.S. forces now withdrawing from northeast Syria, Assad’s Russian-backed troops are sweeping back into the region just as Turkish troops move in from the north.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: We will know more on what will happen in Syria after tomorrow's Putin-Erdogan meeting .... Turkey to take necessary steps in Syria after meeting with Putin: Erdoğan (Hurriyet Daily News).

from War News Updates https://ift.tt/2oRDvE8