Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 5 February 2020
President: Turkey won't allow more ground to Syria in Idlib

By SUZAN FRASER to open a highway linking started to suffer and to
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — the capital Damascus with lose importance," Cavuso-
Turkey's president said Tues- the northern city of Aleppo, glu told reporters in Ankara,
day his country won't allow Syria's largest. Rebels have referring to Russian-Turkish
Syrian forces to gain ad- closed the highway in Idlib peace initiatives that have
ditional territory in a north- since 2012 and Saraqeb is also involved Iran.
ern Syrian province, Turkish the last major rebel-held He said Turkish officials
media reported, a day af- town in their way. were in contact with Rus-
ter clashes between Turkish On Monday, Turkish artil- sian counterparts "to keep
and Syrian forces killed sol- lery targeted Syrian gov- the Astana and Sochi pro-
diers on both sides. ernment forces in northern cesses alive, to strengthen
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Idlib, responding to shelling them, and to arrive at a
comments came as Syrian that killed seven Turkish sol- political solution."
forces reached the western diers and a Turkish civilian. Cavusoglu, who held a
gate of the rebel stronghold Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a A Syrian war monitor said telephone conversation
of Saraqeb in Idlib province meeting in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. 13 Syrian troops were killed with Russian Foreign Minis-
in the north, while the U.N. Associated Press in the clash. ter Sergey Lavrov hours af-
announced that more than The deadly exchange in- ter the Turkey-Syria clash,
half a million people have try's last rebel stronghold, children," said Jens Laerke, creased tensions between added: "The regime's ag-
fled their homes since Dec. which spans Idlib prov- spokesperson for the Office the neighboring countries gressiveness has to be
1, because of the offensive. ince and parts of nearby for the Coordination of Hu- and threatened to drive stopped immediately. That
"At the moment, Syria is try- Aleppo. Turkish troops are manitarian Affairs. a wedge between Russia was the message I gave
ing to gain territory by forc- deployed in some of those "There are no safe places and Turkey, which have Lavrov yesterday."
ing the innocent and poor rebel-held areas to monitor in Idlib, bombs fall every- sought to coordinate their Cavusoglu dismissed claims
people toward our bor- an earlier cease-fire that where and anywhere." actions in Syria. by Russia that it cannot fully
der," private NTV television has since collapsed. Laerke said in the 10 days Earlier on Tuesday, Turk- control the Syrian govern-
quoted Erdogan as telling On Tuesday, Syrian govern- starting Jan. 20, the U.N. ish Foreign Minister Mevlut ment and said the attack
a group of journalists late ment forces were advanc- rights office verified at least Cavusoglu said Ankara came despite a prior no-
Monday. "We won't give ing north under the cover 83 civilians, including 20 and Moscow were trying tification by Turkey of its
Syria the opportunity to of airstrikes, reaching areas women and 33 children, to keep peace efforts for troops' coordinates in Idlib.
gain territory." held by insurgents for eight were killed and dozens Syria alive. He renewed a Russia insisted Turkey failed
Eight Turkish citizens were years. The bombardment more wounded in airstrikes call on Russia to "rein in" Syr- to notify the Russian military
killed in an exchange of forced more people to flee and ground-based attacks. ian government forces and about troop movements
shelling with Syrian govern- for safety in areas close to The Britain-based Syrian Ob- reiterated Turkey's determi- overnight.
ment forces in Idlib on Mon- the Turkish border. servatory for Human Rights, nation to retaliate against Funerals were being held
day. "Since the first of Decem- an opposition war monitor, any future Syrian attack on across Turkey for the Turk-
The assault on the Turkish ber, in just 2 months, more said in recent weeks Syrian its troops. ish servicemen that were
troops came amid a Syrian than 520,000 people have troops have captured more "The Astana and Sochi killed. The deaths marked
government offensive that been displaced from their than 60 towns, villages and peace processes have one of the highest single-
has been advancing since homes, the vast majority hamlets. The captures hap- not been completely de- day tolls for Turkish troops in
December into the coun- of them being women and pened as Syrian forces try stroyed but have lately Syria. q

1st medical relief flight in 3

years departs Yemen's capital

brain tumors, while others belonging to Yemen's na- reached in the near future."
needed organ transplants tional airline, but instead The Norwegian Refugee
or reconstructive surgeries, used one of its own aircraft Council representative in
the U.N. said. with limited space. Yemen, Mohammed Abdi,
Yemen's capital has been The Houthi health ministry said in a statement Mon-
controlled by the Iran- said 32,000 people are in day that the resumption
backed Houthi rebel group need of urgent medical of flights "comes too late
since 2014. A coalition of and surgical interventions, for thousands of Yemenis

A Yemeni family waits in the departure hall at Sanaa Interna- Gulf Arab countries, led by such as kidney transplants who died waiting to leave
tional airport for a U.N. flight, Yemen, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. Saudi Arabia and the Unit- and heart operations. the country for urgent life-
Associated Press ed Arab Emirates, began The U.N. health agency saving care ... Many more
a military campaign the said the medical air-bridge are still waiting to get the
By AHMED AL-HAJ leaving the capital, Sanaa, following year in support operation is expected to healthcare they need."
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A since August 2016. of Yemen's internationally continue with another More than 100,000 people
United Nations medical re- Eight patients and their recognized government. three flights this week car- have been killed in Ye-
lief flight carrying patients families were flown to Egypt The Houthis criticized the rying a total of 30 patients. men's conflict since 2015,
from Yemen's rebel-held and Jordan to receive "life- U.N. for the small number Later, a joint statement according to data pub-
capital took off Monday, saving specialized care not of patients airlifted out of by three top U.N. officials lished last October by the
the first such aid flight in available in Yemen," ac- Sanaa. The Houthi health in Yemen called the relief Armed Conflict Location &
over three years. cording to the U.N. heath ministry issued a statement flights a "temporary solu- Event Project. Millions of Ye-
Saudi Arabia controls Ye- organization. Most were Sunday saying the U.N. ini- tion to reduce the suffering menis live just a step away
men's airspace and has women and children with tially agreed to airlift 30 of Yemeni people until a from famine and rely on
prevented any flights from advanced cancer and patients on a larger plane more sustainable solution is food aid.q