Turkish reinforcements to Bab al-Hawa crossing, in conjunction with calls for protests against Turkey

Idlib – North-Press Agency

Turkish military reinforcements, including a large number of soldiers and vehicles arrived at Bab al-Hawa crossing, north of Idlib governorate, in conjunction with calls for demonstrations against the silence of the Turkish military to the massacre in al-Qah camps, which resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries upon rocket shelling on the camp and a hospital nearby, north of Idlib.

A local source from Bab al-Hawa told North-Press that the Turkish forces brought 15 vehicles loaded with dozens of soldiers to Bab al-Hawa border-crossing from the Turkish side, in addition to reinforcements that reached Turkish observation posts on the Syrian-Turkish border. The source added that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has closed the roads leading to the crossing as dozens of its militants were deployed at checkpoints along the roads.

This intensification follows calls for protests in front of Bab al-Hawa border-crossing by activists, in Idlib governorate, in the towns of Binesh, Sarmada, Kelle and northern Syria camps, after shelling al-Qah camp amid the Turkish silence on the continuing violations in the de-escalation zones.

Thousands of civilians in Idlib had previously staged protests on the Syrian-Turkish border, in which protesters demanded Turkey to open its borders and make a move towards the continued shelling on the de-escalation zones. The protesters were able to control Bab al-Hawa crossing and managed to enter the Turkish crossing side, nevertheless, the Turkish border guards confronted them by firing tear gas.

Meanwhile, the HTS arrested a number of protesters and injured others, as a result of shooting at them in Aqrabat and Sarmada, north of Idlib, which led to a state of resentment among protestors and civilians, especially after HTS has forcibly organized marches in support of the Turkish military and Turkey’s president Erdogan.