Turkey sends military vehicles, equipment to Syrian border

ANKARA - 17 September 2017: Turkey sent 80 military vehicles including tanks to its southern border with Syria, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Sunday.

Citing a military source, Anadolu said the deployment was part of reinforcements for troops stationed along the border. The vehicles were sent to the Iskendurun district of the southeastern province of Hatay, Anadolu said.

Late on Saturday, Anadolu also reported that the army had dispatched first aid trucks and military vehicles to the same location, along with heavy equipment.

A third convoy of armoured vehicles was heading to Hatay's Reyhanli district, where Turkey's Cilvegozu border gate with Syria is located, Anadolu said.

On Friday, Turkey's foreign ministry said Russia, Iran and Turkey had agreed to deploy observers around a de-escalation zone in northern Syria's Idlib region, which is mostly controlled by militants linked to a former al Qaeda affiliate.

It said the observers would look to prevent clashes between forces of the Syrian regime and the opposition, and watch for ceasefire violations.

Last month, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey was taking necessary measures along its 150 km (90 mile) border with Idlib.