OREANDA-NEWS. Anadolu news agency reports with reference to the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey that four Turkish soldiers died and nine were wounded as a result of shelling of Syrian government forces in the de-escalation zone in Idlib Governorate.

The statement of the military department says that Turkish troops had previously given their coordinates to the parties of the conflict in order to avoid clashes. Nevertheless, the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attacked the Turks, as they say in Ankara. The Ministry notes that they made an “immediate retaliatory strike” on ​​al-Assad’s artillery and destroyed all targets.

Ibrahim Kalin, the Spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims on his Twitter page. He noted that the attack was contrary to the Idlib agreement and promised that the death of Turkish soldiers would not remain unanswered.