Syrian Army Advances to Outskirts of Uber-Strategic Town of Saraqib, Erdogan Threatens “Military Force”

After taking Maarat al-Numan the Tiger Forces have advanced up the M5 highway as far north as Dadikh (see video) which places them at 5 kilometers from Saraqib. Saraqib is the single most strategically important location in Idlib province, seeing how it sits on the juncture of the M4 and M5 highways. It is more important than even Idlib city itself.

Erdogan who has been raging against the Syrian offensive, however, seems to have little intention of allowing the town to revert to Syrian government control. The Turkish military is reportedly building an outpost on the M5 just south of Saraqib to stop the Tigers from taking it.

In fact, since a parallel Syrian offensive is fighting its way down the M5 through Western Aleppo suburbs, the Turks are reportedly building another outpost on the highway to the north of Saraqib as well.

However, albeit there have been multiple reports of Turks setting up these bases so far none of them have come with a photo. Thus it is possible this is just a war rumor and that path to Saraqib is not obstructed.

What is not in doubt is that Erdogan has in the meantime escalated his threat of a “unilateral action” to a more specific threat of “military force”:

Turkey may launch a military operation into Syria’s northwestern Idlib province if the situation is not resolved immediately, President Tayyip Erdogan said Friday as attacks by Russia-backed Syrian government forces risked a new wave of refugees.

Speaking in Ankara, Erdogan repeated Turkey could not handle a fresh influx of migrants. He said Ankara will not allow new threats near its borders, even if it meant resorting to military power, as it did in its three previous cross-border operations in northern Syria.

“We will do what is necessary when someone is threatening our soil. We will have no choice but to resort to the same path again if the situation in Idlib is not returned to normal quickly,” Erdogan said.

“We will not refrain from doing what is necessary, including using military force,” he said, adding Turkey wants stability and security in Syria.

“We will not allow the regime to put our country under the constant threat of migrants by tormenting, attacking, spilling the blood of… its people,” Erdogan said.

What a comedian. Damascus restoring control over its territory equals threatening Turkish soil, and Idlib under the rule of Al-Qaeda is a “normal” situation.

أنشئ الجيش التركي اليوم الخميس نقطة مراقبة جديدة بالقرب من مدينة سراقب في شرق مدينة إدلب, بعد أيام من إنشاء نقطة مراقبة جنوب المدينة،النقطة التركية هي الثانية خلال أيام حيث قام الجيش التركي يوم الأربعاء الفائت بإنشاء نقطة مراقبة في مركز الحبوب جنوب مدينة سراقب شرق مدينة إدلب. pic.twitter.com/vW5Zo5TVdP

— Mohamad Rasheed محمد رشيد (@mohmad_rasheed) January 30, 2020