Amid the crowd of calls for its “guardianship”…the Turkish authorities bring proofs of their ownership of 15 villages at least in Idlib province and keep similar documents until now about other areas in the Syrian North

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from a number of reliable sources, which confirmed to the SOHR that the Turkish forces are working through increasing their mobilization, on protecting what the sources called as “areas that owned by the Turks”, within Idlib province, which is located in the Syrian North and which is witnessing preparations for a military operation that may be carried out by the regime forces and their allies any time, in the case that no consensus is reached between Russia and Turkey about the future of the province, and the future of the Jihadist organizations such as Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamic Party of Turkestan and Hurras al-Dien organization operate in the province, and the sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that there are 15 villages in the south-eastern sector of Idlib countryside, in the area between Maarrat Al-Nu’man and Sinjar area, including Al-Sayyadi, Barsah, Khyara, Seraa and Saree, have been owned by the Turks, since the time of the Ottoman presence in the area, which pushed the Turks, according to the sources, to interfere strongly and bring grand military forces and large numbers of members, equipment, ammunition and vehicles in addition to fortifying their military posts stationed in Idlib, Hama and Aleppo.

The reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, that Turkey depends to prove that it owns these areas, on titles and deeds of ownership of these villages, and what supports this claim is that Turkey deliberately established 3 observation posts in the east of the International Highway which passes through Idlib province and links between the Syrian – Turkish border and the Syrian – Jordanian border, and Turkey also depends on similar proofs to prove its ownership of other areas such as Jarabulus, Manbij and the areas where Ottoman commanders had been buried as well as shrines belong to the same period, within the Syrian territory, while the Syrian Observatory monitored days ago, that a meeting was held between representatives of the administrative, political and religious bodies in the province of Lattakia, Sahl Al-Ghab and Jisr Al-Shughur, and between the Turkish forces, in one of the Turkish posts in Syria, where the meeting included demands presented by the representatives of these areas to the Turkish forces, with regard to “the demanding of Turkish protection through preventing the regime forces from shelling these areas, revealing the fate of these areas and the Turkish formal attitude in the case that the regime forces carry out their threat to attack the area, the demanding of the Turkish brothers’ help and contribution in reactivating the main services, in the areas which are located within areas under their protection such as Jisr Al-Shughur and the villages of its western countryside and Sahl Al-Ghab, especially the restoration of schools, dispensaries, hospitals, water and electricity institutions, roads between the villages and towns, and the telecommunication sector, which were subjected to substantial damage in the past years, and the demanding of joining the areas of Jabal Al-Akrad and Jabal Al-Turkman to the Turkish posts of protection such as the areas and townships of Rabiaa, Kinsabba and Salma, which will contribute in the return of the residents of these two areas (Jabal Al-Akrad and Jabal Al-Turkman) to their villages, and decreasing the number of displaced people in the displacement camps, which are spread near the Turkish border, where people suffer from tragic conditions in these camps.

And the Turkish response at that time came as follows:

“There is no change in Turkey’s attitude about its responsibility to protect the areas that are under its supervision, within its task in Jisr Al-Shughur, its western countryside and Sahl Al-Ghab, and the shelling on Bdama Township and Al-Najiyeh and their vicinity has been stopped for 15 days, according to Turkish formal interference and formal request by the influencing parties in this matter, also the Turkish formal attitude about the Syrian regime President has never changed, while Turkey will work on preventing the regime forces from starting any battle in the western countryside of Idlib, and will not allow this to happen along with requesting the factions to be completely ready in the case that any changes that may take place, while a request will be submitted to Ankara for the services and the restoration of schools, as well as a request that will be submitted about the demanding of the return of Jabal Al-Akrad and Jabal Al-Turkman and putting them under the Turkish protection and the return of their residents to them.”, and the Syrian Observatory monitored days ago, that “the council of Khan Shaykhun city, Umm Al-Khalakhil Gathering Council, Khafsin Council, Barsah Gathering Council, Seraa Council, Maar Shamshah Council, Jarjnaz Council, Al-Tah Council, Kafr Sajna Council, Maasaran Council, Farja Council, Maar Shamarin Council, Marshourin Council, Al-Deir Al-Sharqi Council, Halbeh Council”, and other councils operating in the countryside of Idlib province, signed a statement -of which the Syrian Observatory received a copy- says “as a result of the internal and external conspiracies that are being planed in our areas, we emphasize the following: we adhere the constants of our blessed revolution, we defend the sanctity of the blood of our martyrs, we absolutely refuse the entry of Al-Assad’s gang or the Russian occupier to our areas, each person in Al-Assad’s gang claims that he represents any village or town in the area, he only represents himself, we call the Turkish government to immediately interfere and apply the Turkish guardianship, and we pledge to cooperate with our Turkish brothers to control the area, we also call them to activate the educational, services and health institutions and the other institutions in the liberated area”.