Trump Backs Erdogan as Turkey Rejects Russia’s Syria Offer
- Turkish operation for Idlib ‘a matter of time,’ Erdogan says
- Erdogan’s comments follow inconclusive talks with Russia
A Turkish army convoy is deployed to the Syria border in Hatay, Turkey, on Feb. 17.
Photographer: Burak Milli/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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Turkey issued its harshest warning yet to Russia in the standoff over Syria’s last rebel stronghold, where their battle for control threatens to destroy a fragile understanding that’s kept a refugee crisis from exploding at full force.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his military “has made all the preparations to implement its own operation plans” in Idlib province in northwest Syria, which is controlled by a mix of onetime al-Qaeda militants and Turkish-backed rebels.