IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Not far from the Turkish border, Malek Khalil, 40, sits inside his tent in Atma IDP camps northern Idlib, northwestern Syria, in a state of anticipation and tension amid talks about the approaching of Idlib battle.
Khalil and other IDPs do not trust the promises of the Turkish forces that they will not allow any military operation against Idlib.
His past experience in Hama prompts him to question the promises that Turkey is now making to the residents of Idlib, “It only cares about its interests,” Khalil told North Press.
The Syrian government forces had already taken over the northern countryside of Hama after many promises by Turkey to prevent this from happening, an event that the IDPs will not forget as it caused them to displace to Idlib.
Turkey did not show any reaction to the government forces, although its points in Moreg and Sher Maghar were targeted by the government forces at the time, IDPs in Hama countryside said.
On September 9, the Turkish military distributed pamphlets in the city of Ariha which stated that the Turkish army aims to prevent any invasion of Idlib.
The IDPs fear the start of a military operation similar to that of last February, where the government forces, with Russian support, took over important cities and towns in the de-escalation zone.
“I believe that Turkey has not provided anything positive, on the contrary, the opposition has lost dozens of cities and towns because of Turkey,” Ala’a al-Khaled, 36, an IDP in al-Atlal camp in Idlib told North Press.
“As civilians, we were displaced to the camps, and we no longer trust Turkey,” he added.
He noted that Turkey handed over the countryside of Hama, Idlib, and other areas to the Syrian government, and it will hand over the city of Idlib as well.
On the other hand, Yasser al-Salloum, 57, an IDP from Idlib countryside, believed that the Turkish position would be different in the next battle after the entry of thousands of Turkish soldiers into Idlib and its countryside.
“The area is no longer subject to geographical decline, as it includes millions of civilians whether indigenous people or IDPs from various Syrian governorates.
Meanwhile, Khaled al-Razzouq, a civil activist in Idlib, said that there are signs of the approaching of the Idlib battle with the recent escalation in al-Zawiya Mount by government forces.
During his interview with North Press, he noted that Turkey is recently establishing camps and residential villages very quickly in the Deir Hassan region on the Syrian-Turkish border.
Since mid-July, the Idlib region has been witnessing a military escalation after the target of a Russian-Turkish patrol west of the city of Ariha, injuring Russian soldiers.