Russian defense ministry said that slain Turkish troops were acting inside ‘combat units’ with ‘terrorists’ in Idlib province when they were targeted by a Syrian government airstrike on 27 February 2020, where 33 Turkish service members were killed.
On 28 February 2020, the Russian defense ministry said that the airstrike happened when the Syrian government forces were ‘repelling a large-scale offensive by an Al-qaeda affiliated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)’ inside the Idlib ‘de-escalation zone’.
It was also reported by the Russian defense ministry that the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria was in constant contact with Turkey.
The defense ministry also said that Turkey notified Russia that there were no Turkish soldiers near Baluon when the Syrian government forces fighting a battle with ‘terrorists’ there.
On the other hand, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay warned that the ‘Syrian regime’ will pay a heavy price for this ‘treacherous attack’.
And in a written statement, US State Department said that Washington is very concerned about air strikes on Turkish soldiers in Syria.
“We stand by our NATO ally Turkey,” State Department statement read.