Istanbul: An attack on Turkish troops in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Saturday left two soldiers dead and three others wounded, Turkish officials said.
The assault happened following a search and screening operation in the Idlib de-escalation zone, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement. It identified the dead soldiers as infantry non-commissioned officers.
Idlib is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria's civil war and parts are patrolled by Turkish and Russian troops.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a roadside bomb attack on a Turkish convoy happened on the road between Idlib city and Binnish. It said the wounded soldiers were evacuated to Turkey by helicopter.
The Observatory said the attack was claimed by a group known as the Supporters of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Company, a militant group that has claimed previous attacks on Turkish forces.
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Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar later travelled to the Syrian border to meet military commanders.
Northwestern Syria has seen sporadic military activity since a cease-fire there was brokered in March 2020 by Turkey and Russia, which support opposing sides in Syria's civil war. The deal ended a crushing Russian-backed government offensive in Idlib province.
Syria's government, which agreed to the Russia-Turkey negotiated truce, has vowed to restore control over territory it lost during the 10-year conflict.
Northwestern Syria is home to some 4 million people, many of them displaced by the civil war that has killed a half million people and displaced half the country's pre-war population of 23 million, including more than 5 million who are refugees outside the country.
In February last year at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike in Idlib, leading to massive Turkish retaliation against pro-government forces. (AP)
