2020 Balyun airstrikes

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 byRussia Russian Air Force
Syria Syrian Air Force
CasualtiesTurkey 34 soldiers killed
(per Turkey & SOHR)[1][2]
50–70 soldiers killed
(per other sources, close to Turkey)[3][4][5]
36–60 wounded[6][4]

On 27 February 2020, during the Dawn of Idlib 2 Operation, a joint airstrike was executed by the Russian and Syrian Air Forces against a convoy of the Turkish Army stationed in Balyun, within the Idlib Governorate. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reported that the assault resulted in the loss of 34 Turkish soldiers.[1] However, alternative sources close to Turkey, suggested a significantly higher death toll, ranging from 50 to 70 casualties, marking it as the most lethal attack on Turkish forces since their engagement in the Syrian Civil War commenced.[3][7][8][9] The assault also inflicted injuries on an estimated 36 to 60 soldiers, with 16 of them reported to be in a critical state.[6][4] This incident represented the most substantial loss of life experienced by the Turkish Army on foreign territory since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.[10] In response to this attack, the Turkish Armed Forces initiated Operation Spring Shield in the province of Idlib.

  1. ^ a b "Erdoğan: İdlib'de 59 şehit verdik". www.sozcu.com.tr.
  2. ^ "At least 34 soldiers of the Turkish Forces were killed in airstrikes today".
  3. ^ a b SPIEGEL, DER. "Türkische Soldaten sterben durch Luftangriffe in Idlib - DER SPIEGEL - Politik". www.spiegel.de.
  4. ^ a b c Gurcan, Metin (28 February 2020). "Deciphering Turkey's darkest night in Syria". Al-Monitor.
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b "33 Turkish soldiers killed, 36 wounded in Syria's Idlib - live blog". Ahval. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Dozens of Turkish soldiers killed in strike in Idlib in Syria". MSN. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  8. ^ Tisdall, Simon (2 March 2020). "Erdoğan is reaping what he sowed: Turkey is on the brink of disaster in Syria". The Guardian.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference MEEBalyun was invoked but never defined (see the help page).