Report Blasts Turkey for Deploying 7,000 Turkistani Terrorists in Syria

Ankara has paved the ground for the traffic of thousands of members of the Turkistani terrorist group to Syria, the Syrian media sources reported on Monday.

The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper referred to Turkey’s all-out support for the Turkistani terrorist group, claiming that Ankara has provided the ground for the militants’ deployment in Syria.

It added that the Turkistani terrorists entered Syria late in 2013 along with their family members and were stationed at the bordering areas with Turkey in the Northern mountains of Syria and Western Idlib.

Al-Watan said that the number of Turkistani militants surged to 7,000 in early 2016, adding that other terrorist groups, including Jund al-Aqsa, also joined the group later.

According to the report, the Turkistani terrorists are in possession of a large number of heavy weapons in the newly-formed demilitarized zone and in areas 10km away from the Syrian Army positions in al-Tabibat, al-Shaqar base, Kafr Yadin, al-Najiyeh, Northern Lattakia and Sahl al-Qab.

It also launches attacks on Syrian army positions in Northeastern Lattakia and Sahl al-Qab in Hama in collaboration with other terrorist groups, the report added.

Relevant reports said last Saturday that Turkey had played a role in delaying the implementation of a Russian-US agreement to evacuate the militants from al-Tanf region at the borders between Iraq and Syria.

The Arabic-language website of Sputnik news agency quoted an informed source as saying that Turkey was behind the delay in transferring all terrorist groups from al-Tanf region and al-Rakban camp to Northern Syria to pave the ground for civilians’ return to their villages and towns.

He added that the Turkish side had not yet fully accepted to transfer the US-backed terrorist groups, including al-Qoryatayn, Maqawir al-Thawra and Ahmad al-Abdou, stationed in al-Tanf to regions in Northern Syria.

Based on the report, Turkey wanted to shelter the foreign terrorist groups, including Turkistani, Turkaman, and other militants who consider themselves as remnants of the Ottoman government in Northern Syria, and prevent the Syrian militants from residing in that region.

The source also said that delay in the implementation of al-Tanf agreement had also delayed the US forces’ withdrawal which depended on the retreatment of all terrorist groups by receiving government amnesty or their transfer to Northern Syria, adding that Ankara had revealed its opposition after a likely agreement with the US in this regard.