Turkey establishes new 'observation point' in Idlib province

Turkey has set up a new "observation point" in Idlib province as part of its efforts to reduce violence in Syria, reported AFP.

The point, which will be located in the town of Maarrat al-Numan 40 miles from the Turkish border, will be staffed by a small contingent of troops.

Idlib is nearly completely under the control of anti-government forces, predominantly Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group led by al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate.

The Turkish military set out for Maarrat al-Numan late on Wednesday night.

The Maarrat al-Numan observation point will be the sixth such position in Idlib after two were set up earlier this month.

In early February, Turkish convoys came under attack including an incident that left one soldier dead.

The observation points are a key component of creating de-escalation zones, which were agreed upon at peace talks in Astana in July 2017.

Last week, Turkey said it would host a three-way summit with Russian and Iranian leaders to discuss the Syrian war. Ankara has called for President Bashar al-Assad's removal, but Iran and Russia are staunch supporters of the Syrian regime.

Since January 20, Ankara began a cross-border operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in neighbouring Afrin.