Extraordinary NATO session due to the death of 33 Turkish soldiers in Syrian Idlib

(Patria) – The North Atlantic Alliance – NATO will hold an extraordinary meeting on Friday following the death of 33 Turkish soldiers in Syria on Thursday.

The alliance's statement states that the meeting will be held 'at the request of Turkey'.

Turkish official sources state that 33 soldiers lost their lives in attacks on Thursday night into Friday, while more than 30 were injured. Military sources on the ground claim it was a targeted attack on a two-story building in the settlement of Balioun. Namely, a Turkish convoy, which was part of the reinforcements sent by the Turkish government to aid rebel forces at the beginning of the month, was heavily shelled on Thursday morning. The soldiers took shelter in Balioun, in the local council building, which was later targeted from the air.

Turkish officials accused the Syrian regime of the attack, but several sources in Idlib, as well as unverified footage of the night attack, suggested that it was actually the Russian air force, which has been supporting the fierce offensive of the Assad regime for three months.

The Russian Ministry of Defense on Friday morning denied claims that their planes were responsible for the attack. However, their statement also said that the Turkish army should not have been in the Idlib region, and that it had not given the Syrian government prior warning of its presence.

Turkey suffered its largest human loss in a single day since its first intervention in the Syrian conflict in 2016, when at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in Syrian regime airstrikes.

As a reminder, Turkey has mobilized more than 10,000 soldiers into the Syrian province of Idlib, which borders Turkey and is the last stronghold of opposition-rebel forces supported by Turkey. Fierce fighting is currently underway for Idlib, with the Syrian regime, with the help of Russian forces, attempting to regain control of the area.

President Erdogan has repeatedly tried to convene a summit on a ceasefire in Syria with France, Germany, and Russia, but Russia still refuses the invitation.

Following the deaths of Turkish soldiers, crowds of angry citizens gathered in front of the Russian consulate in Istanbul, chanting 'Russia killer, Putin killer'.