“De-escalation zone” in 45 days | Turkish forces refuse to fully hand over their besieged posts in regime-controlled areas
The Syrian Observatory has monitored, during the last 45 days, several developments in the area of Russian-Turkish understandings “de-escalation zone”, most notably the withdrawal of besieged Turkish posts in the regime-controlled areas from Hama countryside in mid-October.
This was followed by a number of withdrawals from Turkish posts in Idlib and Aleppo, and redeployment in the areas held by the factional in Jabal al-Zawiya, which overlooks the Damascus-Aleppo international road “M5” in order to implement the Russian-Turkish agreement, which requires the withdrawal of Turkish posts from areas controlled now by Russia and regime forces. Turkish forces are still refusing to hand over observation posts to Russians and regime forces, after completely handing over the Murek post a month ago.
In mid-October, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored Turkish forces disassembling the observation post in Murek, which is the largest Turkish military post in northern Hama, in preparation for leaving it. Civilian trucks entered to transport the equipment to areas under the control of HTS and factions in Jabal al-Zawiya in Idlib countryside.
Meanwhile, regime forces targeted these trucks as they entered their areas of control in the village of Al-Tarnaba near the city of Saraqeb on the Damascus-Aleppo international road “M4”, killing one of truck drivers.
Turkish forces had withdrew completely from Murek post in early November, after being established for nearly 30 months since April 2018.
In the meantime, Turkish troops stationed at the post 11th in the village of Sher Maghar in Jabal Shahshbo, northwest of Hama province, were preparing to evacuate it, similar to the observation post in Murek, while Turkish forces are still present at this post to date.
It is worth nothing that Turkish forces were stationed at Sher Maghar post on June 14, 2018.
Turkish forces continued their withdrawal from their observation posts within the Syrian regime-controlled areas, last November, dismantling their equipment from the observation post in western Aleppo countryside between Sheikh Aqeel and Qubattan al-Jabal, transporting them to al-Atareb area in western Aleppo countryside.
During the first 10 days of November, a large Turkish columns, which had gathered at Ma’r Hatat post, besieged in regime-controlled areas in Idlib countryside on the Damascus-Aleppo international road, withdrew to the Taftanaz military airport, which is used by Turkish forces as a military base. SOHR sources have reported that Turkish forces had completely evacuated the Ma’r Hatat post, while the post has not yet been entered by regime forces to date.
In accordance with the Russian-Turkish agreement, which requires the withdrawal of Turkish forces from posts in regime-held areas in Aleppo, Idlib and Hama. On November 26, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the withdrawal of Turkish forces from one of its military posts in Al-Sina’a neighbourhood, east of Saraqeb city. Turkish forces were seen withdrawing towards their positions near the village of Al-Ruwayh in Jabal al-Zawiya, south of Idlib.
On the other hand, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored Turkey’s attempt to set up military posts near the “M5” road in high areas overlooking the city of Ma’rat al-Numan and a short distance of regime forces there.
In early November, Turkish forces, coinciding with withdrawals from rural Hama and Idlib, set up two military posts in the town of Al-Bara and Deir Sanbel in Jabal al-Zawiya, which overlooks the city of Ma’rat al-Numan and its eastern countryside, south of Idlib.
On November 20, Turkish forces set up a military post in the village of Billioon in Jabal al-Zawiya, and another one in Tel Al-Marqab, 48 hours after setting up Billioon post in Idlib countryside.
Turkish forces are still stationing and sending in military reinforcements to the “de-escalation zone”, while uncertainty surrounds the working mechanisms of the next phase of the Russian-Turkish understandings on Idlib, which is home to some three million displaced people, half of whom are in displacement camps near the border with the Iskenderun region in the north of the province.