Turkey has asked the U.S. to deploy two Patriot missile-defense batteries on its southern border to free it to punish any future attacks by Russian-backed Syrian troops, according to a senior Turkish official in Ankara.
The disclosure was almost immediately followed on Thursday by a spasm of violence that left two Turkish soldiers dead and five wounded in Idlib, underscoring the risks as two regional powerbrokers assert their influence in northwestern Syria.


Uneasy Ties
The confrontation between the two is threatening a rupture in their relationship and prompting Turkey to reboot ties with the U.S. after years of tensions. Turkey has refused Russian demands to move its military outposts further north in Idlib.
Turkey and Russia are also facing off through proxies in the Libyan conflict.
Turkey has sent thousands of Syrian rebels to shore up the United Nations-recognized administration of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.
Lined up against them are hundreds of mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner security contractor, which is controlled by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. They’ve been hired to support Khalifa Haftar’s now-stalled offensive on the capital, Tripoli, according to Western officials and people close to the organization.
— With assistance by Ilya Arkhipov, Henry Meyer, and Mario Parker
(Updates with Anadolu report under ‘Waiting for Response’ subheadline)
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The confrontation between the two is threatening a rupture in their relationship and prompting Turkey to reboot ties with the U.S. after years of tensions. Turkey has refused Russian demands to move its military outposts further north in Idlib.

Turkey and Russia are also facing off through proxies in the Libyan conflict.
Turkey has sent thousands of Syrian rebels to shore up the United Nations-recognized administration of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.
Lined up against them are hundreds of mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner security contractor, which is controlled by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. They’ve been hired to support Khalifa Haftar’s now-stalled offensive on the capital, Tripoli, according to Western officials and people close to the organization.

— With assistance by Ilya Arkhipov, Henry Meyer, and Mario Parker
(Updates with Anadolu report under ‘Waiting for Response’ subheadline)

SHARE THIS ARTICLE