2020 Balyun airstrikes

On 27 February 2020, during the peak of Operation Dawn of Idlib 2, the Syrian Air Force and reportedly the Russian Air Force conducted two airstrikes against a Turkish Army convoy in Balyun, Idlib Governorate. According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the strikes resulted in the deaths of 34 Turkish soldiers,[3] while other sources close to the Turkish government gave death tolls of up to 50–100 Turkish soldiers killed,[5][8][9] making it the single deadliest attack on Turkish forces since the start of their involvement in the Syrian Civil War.[10][11] Between 36 and 60 soldiers were also wounded, of which 16 were reported to be in critical condition.[12][6]

2020 Balyun airstrikes
Part of the Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020)
Location
Balyun, Idlib Governorate, Syria
TargetTurkish Armed Forces
Date27 February 2020
Executed by Russian Air Force
(denied by Russia)[1]
Syrian Air Force
Casualties 33–34 soldiers killed
(per Turkey)[2][3]
34 soldiers killed
(per SOHR)[4]
50–100 soldiers killed
(per other sources)[5][6][7]

The strikes

At around 11 a.m. on 27 February 2020, two Russian Sukhoi Su-34 and two Syrian Su-22 fighter bombers started intensive bombing raids of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham forces in the southern countryside of Syria's Idlib province. According to Russian sources, after 1 p.m., Turkish troops conducted more than 15 MANPADS attacks against the Russian and Syrian jets, with some Russian aircraft allegedly suffering damage while evading the fire.[6]

At around 5 p.m., a 400-man Turkish mechanized infantry battalion traveling in a convoy was targeted by an airstrike on the road between al-Bara and Balyun, around five kilometers north of Kafr Nabl. A light airstrike by a Su-22 halted the convoy, after which more intense bombing forced the Turkish soldiers to take shelter in the nearby buildings. According to Al-Monitor, "What followed next was likely the dropping of KAB-1500L bombs...by the Russian jets", collapsing two buildings and leaving a number of soldiers under the rubble. The following day, the Russian government denied it carried out airstrikes in the area and stated it made attempts to ensure the Syrian military ceased firing to allow the evacuation of the Turkish troops, but claimed that Turkish forces should not have been in the area, where "counter-terror operations" were taking place, and that Turkey failed to notify it about the soldiers' presence in advance.[6] The Turkish government claimed that the Russian military had already been notified of Turkish troop locations, as the two militaries had regularly liaised about these.[13]

Turkish retaliation
Further information: Operation Spring Shield

According to the Turkish Ministry of National Defense, Turkey responded to the airstrikes and claimed 329 Syrian government troops "neutralized" and destroyed five helicopters, 23 tanks, 10 armored vehicles 23 artillery and howitzers, five ammunition trucks, one SA-17 and one SA-22 air defense systems, three ammunition depots, two inventory depots and one headquarter building belonging to the Syrian government,[14] which could not be corroborated.[15] A Syrian military official acknowledged their armored and technical vehicles were heavily targeted and that their northwestern Syria arsenal suffered significant destruction.[16] The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 147 Syrian soldiers and 27 other allied foreign fighters were killed by Turkish drone and artillery attacks between 28 February and 5 March.[17][18] Syrian government fire killed seven Turkish soldiers and injured 21 more.[19][20][21][22]

Fighter aircraft, combat drones and ground fire were used in the retaliation according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense.[23] According to Turkish sources, Turkish combat drones entered Syrian airspace while Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jets launched long range precision-guided munitions without entering Syrian airspace.[24]

Turkey also deployed MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missiles to its border with Syria the following day.[25]

Reactions

Protests against Russia occurred at the Russian Consulate in Istanbul the day following the strikes.[11] The Turkish cabinet had an emergency meeting concerning the airstrikes. The Turkish government then threatened retaliation against the Syrian government for the strikes, and began to encourage Syrian refugees to enter Greece and Bulgaria.[26] In addition, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke with the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, concerning the incident.[27]

On 29 February 2020, the Greek delegation to NATO blocked a joint declaration intended to support Turkey regarding its military operation in Syria. According to Kathimerini, the reason for the veto was because the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany denied a Greek demand to add a paragraph regarding the issue of refugees from Turkey to Greece.[28][29]

On 2 March 2020, the U.S. Secretary of Defence Mark Esper denied US air support for Turkey in Idlib. The Chairman of the US Joint Staffs General Mark Milley stated that they don't “have clear" intelligence of who was flying the planes that carried out the strike.[30]

On 17 March 2020, the U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced new rounds of sanctions against Syrian government officials and also for the first time publicly accused Russia for being responsible for the deaths of Turkish troops in Syria, saying "We believe Russia has killed dozens of Turkish military personnel in the course of their military operation," but without naming a specific incident.[31][32]

See also

References
  1. Agencies, Daily Sabah with (2020-02-28). "Russia denies involvement in airstrikes on Turkish troops in Idlib". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  2. Syrian, Turkish armies engage in new deadly clashes in Idlib
    Putin and Erdoğan in last-ditch talks to secure Syria ceasefire
    At least 15 displaced Syrians killed in Idlib air attack
  3. "Erdoğan: İdlib'de 59 şehit verdik". www.sozcu.com.tr.
  4. "At least 34 soldiers of the Turkish Forces were killed in airstrikes today".
  5. SPIEGEL, DER. "Türkische Soldaten sterben durch Luftangriffe in Idlib - DER SPIEGEL - Politik". www.spiegel.de.
  6. Gurcan, Metin (February 28, 2020). "Deciphering Turkey's darkest night in Syria". Al-Monitor.
  7. Dozens of Turkish soldiers killed in strike in Idlib in Syria Archived 2020-02-29 at the Wayback Machine
    Erdoğan is reaping what he sowed: Turkey is on the brink of disaster in Syria
  8. "Dozens of Turkish soldiers killed in strike in Idlib in Syria". Archived from the original on 2020-02-29. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  9. Tisdall, Simon (March 2, 2020). "Erdoğan is reaping what he sowed: Turkey is on the brink of disaster in Syria | Simon Tisdall" – via www.theguardian.com.
  10. "Turkey hits 'all known' Syrian govt positions after soldiers killed in Idlib". France 24. France 24. 28 Feb 2020.
  11. Gall, Carlotta (27 Feb 2020). "Airstrike Hits Turkish Forces in Syria, Raising Fears of Escalation". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 27 Feb 2020.
  12. "33 Turkish soldiers killed, 36 wounded in Syria's Idlib - live blog". Ahval.
  13. "The Strike: Did Russia Knowingly Target Turkish Troops?". POLYGRAPH.info. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  14. "Bakan Akar: 200'ü aşkın rejim hedefi ağır ateş altına alındı". NTV. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  15. "33 Turkish soldiers killed in Syrian air raid in Idlib". www.aljazeera.com.
  16. Desk, News (February 28, 2020). "Turkish military carries out massive attack against Syrian Army".
  17. https://www.syriahr.com/en/156322/
  18. https://www.syriahr.com/en/156574/
  19. One Turkish soldier killed, two wounded in Syria's Idlib - ministry
    45 regime forces killed by bombing drones and war planes and Turkish artillery shelling ... and surface-to-surface missiles targeting the countryside of Aleppo
  20. Turkey says one soldier killed in Syrian government shelling in Idlib
    قتلى وجرحى في صفوف القوات التركية بقصف مدفعي لقوات النظام على ريف إدلب
  21. One Turkish soldier killed and nine wounded in Syria's Idlib: ministry
    Two Turkish soldiers killed, six wounded in Syria's Idlib - ministry
    Turkish forces resume bombarding regime positions, while regime forces attempt to advance further northwest of Saraqeb
  22. Turkish defence ministry says two soldiers died in Syria's Idlib
    قُبيل دخول وقف إطلاق النار حيز التنفيذ.. مقتل جنديين تركيين في قصف مدفعي لقوات النظام واستمرار الغارات الروسية على ريف إدلب
  23. "329 rejim askeri etkisiz hale getirildi". TRT Haber. Anadolu Agency. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  24. "Son dakika İdlib'de rejim unsurlarına ağır darbe! Türk savaş uçakları hava sahası engelini böyle aştı..." Milliyet. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  25. "Türkiye'nin HAWK hava savunma sistemleri yönünü Suriye'ye çevrildi". Star. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  26. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/02/just-run-on-the-turkey-greece-border-as-refugees-try-to-break-through
  27. Tuysuz, Gul; Sariyuce, Isil (27 Feb 2020). "At least 29 Turkish soldiers killed in an air attack by Syrian regime, Turkish governor says". CNN. CNN. Retrieved 27 Feb 2020.
  28. Kampouris, Nick. "Greece Vetoed NATO Communique Intended to Support Turkey | GreekReporter.com".
  29. "Greece 'vetoes NATO statement' on support for Turkey amid Syria escalation". www.tert.am.
  30. "Pentagon chief says no U.S. air support for Turkey in Idlib - live blog". Ahval.
  31. "Pompeo says Russia responsible for Turkish soldiers' deaths". France 24. March 17, 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  32. "[Ticker] US: Russia, not Syria, killed Turkish soldiers". EUobserver. Retrieved 18 March 2020.

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