According to local sources, the Turkish army has moved several military convoys across various border points into northern Syria. The troops reportedly moved along three routes into the areas around Efrîn (Afrin), Serekaniyê (Ras al-Ain), and the northern outskirts of Aleppo.
The troop deployment took place on Monday night. Video footage shared on social media shows Turkish military vehicles moving toward the city of Minbic (Manbij).
Movements mainly concentrated in Aleppo and Manbij areas
According to the information provided, one convoy crossed the Syrian border at Deir Ballut in the direction of the northern province of Aleppo, while another is said to have entered the country late at night via the Adwaniyah border post. The movements were mainly concentrated in the area north of Aleppo and around Manbij, which has been under Turkish-jihadist occupation for about a year.
Syrian troops also reinforced
At the same time, observers also reported an increase in military activity by troops of Syria’s Islamist transitional government. They assembled new units in Deir ez-Zor in the east, including artillery systems and drones. A large part of these reinforcements are said to consist of members of the so-called 86th Division. According to reports, they were deployed to rural areas in western Deir ez-Zor.
Connection to Turkey-Syria talks?
This development comes just a few days after Turkish Chief of Staff Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu visited the Syrian capital Damascus. Bayraktaroğlu was in Damascus on December 5 and 6 at the invitation of the Syrian side for talks but no official details on the content or results were disclosed. There has also been no statement from the Turkish government or the General Staff regarding the current troop movements. The purpose and scope of the deployment remain unclear.