A Turkish military convoy has entered the western countryside of Aleppo to install the tenth monitoring point under the “de-escalation” agreement, signed by the guarantor countries (Iran, Russia and Turkey).
Today, Wednesday May 9, Media sources told Enab Balaldi that the convoy consists of 60 military machines including armored vehicles; it headed towards the “strategic” al-Rashidin area, adjacent to the Assad’s forces’ control areas in the city of Aleppo.
The sources added that the convoy entered through the Kfr Lusin crossing in Idlib governorate, a few days after talks about the entry of Turkish reconnaissance delegations to the area.
The Turkish General Staff has announced the installation of the tenth monitoring point in Northern Syria, five of which are located in the western countryside of Aleppo.
Early in last March, the Turkish army has fixed the eight “de-escalation” point in the northern countryside of Hama, which was followed with the ninth point in rural Lattakia without an official statement.
Seven points preceded; they are distributed in Andan in the northern countryside of Aleppo, three points in the western countryside of Aleppo and another in Talet al-Iss in the southern part of the governorate.
In addition to two points in Tell Touqan and the surrounding of Maarrat al-Nu’man in eastern Idlib.
Last January, Ankara and Moscow agreed to hasten the installation of the fourth monitoring point in the governorate of Idlib, under the frame of the “de-escalation” agreement which was signed in October 2017.
Despite the spread of the monitoring points, the air raids by the Russian forces continue, targeting southern Idlib and the western areas, adjoining the Turkish border line, which triggers questions about the ability to restrain the Assad’s and Russia’s efforts through the agreement that included the area.
Assad’s forces and alley militias have entirely controlled the city of Aleppo in mid-December 2016, following the exit of the last of the opposition’s fighters from the astern neighborhoods.
Following its complete control over the city of Aleppo, Assad’s forces focused all their effort on the military fronts in the southern and western rural parts of the city, for they have controlled wide spaces in its southern part, without any progress on the western fronts.
According to the control map, the installation of the monitoring points was concentrated on the entirety of the eastern line of Idlib governorate and rural Aleppo, which can be classified as stable in terms of military operations, leaving the western part to the decisions of the upcoming understandings, the last repercussions of which was the Ankara summit that joined the leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran.
Talks about the western line of Idlib relates to information that reported a military progress which the area might witness in the upcoming few days. Observers believe that Assad’s and Russian forces are likely to undertake certain movements, while others believe that the movement will be done by the opposition factions towards rural Lattakia.
A map showing the locations of the Turkish monitoring points in Idlib governorate (Enab Baladi)