Turkey says soldiers to stay at posts in northwestern Syria

ANKARA - Turkey will remain at its observation posts to monitor the cease-fire in northwestern Syria and respond to any acts of hostility, said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Sunday.

"In no way will we evacuate 12 observation points heroically carrying out their mission of ensuring the cease-fire. We are not going to leave," Akar was quoted by semi-official Anadolu Agency as saying.

His remarks came as the violence escalated recently in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib where the observation posts are located, forcing tens of thousands of refugees to flood toward Turkey's borders.

The top military commander said the Turkish soldiers have been ordered to respond if they are attacked or harassed.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited, but the cease-fire deal has since been constantly violated.