(2 Feb 2020) A large Turkish military convoy moved into the rebel-held areas of northwest Syria on Sunday, witnesses on the ground said, adding it appeared to be heading towards the south of Idlib province.
The troop movements came amidst a Syrian government offensive into the country's last rebel stronghold, located in Idlib province and parts of the nearby Aleppo region.
Idlib is the last area of Syria held by rebel groups who in recent days have had to retreat in the face of a new government offensive.
The Turkish military convoy consisted of dozens of armoured vehicles, fuel tanker trucks and flatbed trucks carrying tanks and armoured personnel carriers.
Associated Press footage from northern Syria showed Turkish troops had remained in their vehicles and none were seen on the road as civilian cars drove past and residents stood by watching.
The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, reported some 40 Turkish military vehicles crossed into northern Syria early on Sunday, while other witnesses said the number of vehicles was more than 100.
Turkey has troops stationed at 12 observation posts in Idlib to monitor the earlier ceasefire.
Idlib province is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced from other parts of Syria in earlier bouts of violence.
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