Opposition İYİ Party leader urges gov’t to respond to regime attack in Idlib

ISTANBUL

A Turkish opposition party leader on Feb. 4 urged the government to respond in force to a deadly attack on Turkish soldiers in Syria’s Idlib province by Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“Raise hell against those who martyred our soldiers,” İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener told her party’s parliamentary group on Feb. 4. “Show the power of the Turkish nation and Turkish state with the state will and not make any domestic policy calculations,” she said.

The regime attack in Idlib on Feb. 3 killed seven Turkish soldiers and one civilian contractor working with the Turkish military. Thirteen other individuals were injured but are in good condition, according to Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.

“Do the necessary thing without any hesitation as soon as possible,” she stated.

Akşener reacted to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for not canceling his visit to Ukraine after the Turkish soldiers were killed in Idlib.

“Turkey will send 200 million Turkish Liras of aid to Ukraine. On the night of Feb. 3, the same day, the Syrian army, which is under the control of Russia that is responsible for the invasion of Ukraine and Crimea, targets the Turkish soldiers. The chess game is clear. We provide military aid, we become military targets,” she said.