By Muhammed Boztepe
ANKARA (AA) – War-hit Syrians in northwestern Idlib are grateful to Turkish soldiers for their efforts, according to a video shared by Turkey’s National Defense Ministry on Tuesday.
“Turkish soldiers respect everyone and they are nice to us. The situation is far better than before thanks to the help of Allah and Turkish soldiers,” says a Syrian from Idlib in the video the ministry posted on Twitter.
The soldiers, leaving their families and country behind, go there to help the Syrians, he added, expressing gratitude.
"They have been here for the last three years. Hopefully, things will get better from now on," he also said.
Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone laid out in a deal between Turkey and Russia in late 2018. The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the zone.
The de-escalation zone is currently home to 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-weary country.
Turkey has worked to protect the local civilian population, as well as rid the wider region of terrorist elements.
*Writing by Burak Dag
