Turkish civilian killed, two injured in Idlib

ANKARA

 A civilian support worker for the Turkish Armed Forces was killed in a terrorist car bomb attack on a military convoy in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, the Turkish General Staff said late on Jan. 30.

Terrorists detonated a vehicle while a Turkish military convoy deployed in Idlib as part of an international agreement to establish de-escalation zones was passing through, read a statement by the military.

It also said one Turkish soldier and another civilian employee were injured in the explosion.

The victim was an employee of the Forestry and Water Affairs Ministry, Minister Veysel Eroğlu said on his Twitter account.

“Today, a member of the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, Yasin Tanboğa, who joined the Idlib de-escalation force was martyred in an attack on a convoy in the north of Idlib. Mahmut Pakyürek was seriously injured and specialized sergeant Ömer Güneş was injured slightly. We wish God’s mercy for the martyred staff and a speedy recovery for the injured. We wish condolences to his family and to our nation,” read the minister’s post.

The deployment in the northwestern region was launched last October under a deal reached with Russia and Iran during the Syrian peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana.

The establishment of de-escalation zones between Turkey, which backs groups opposed to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime, Russia and Iran, who support the regime, was agreed on in May 2017.