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Turkish artillery shelled Syrian border settlements — Russian Defense Ministry

Objective control means have registered more than 100 salvos fired by the Turkish artillery on border settlements in the province of Aleppo, the ministry's spokesman says
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov
© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

LATAKIA, February 16. /TASS/. Turkey has been using large-caliber artillery against the Syrian army and the opposition since the end of last week and has fired over 100 salvos on border settlements in the Aleppo province in Syria, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Tuesday.

"Turkey has been delivering massive artillery strikes from large-caliber guns since the end of last week against Syrian government troops and patriotic opposition forces in border areas. Objective control means have registered more than 100 salvos fired by the Turkish artillery on border settlements in the province of Aleppo," the spokesman said.

Turkey has also launched an aggressive information campaign against Russia, he added.

"Ankara has started an aggressive information campaign in the world’s leading media outlets against Russia to prevent the loss of its control over the northern and the northwestern parts of Syria where the Turkish authorities have been de-facto absolute masters in recent years," the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said.

Reports about the Turkish artillery’s shelling of Syrian areas held by Kurds came on February 13.

Turkish National Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said on February 15 that the strikes targeted four regions in the north of Syria.

Ankara has said it is ready to carry out a military operation against the armed formations of the Syrian Kurds’ Democratic Union Party, which is considered as a terrorist organization in Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davotoglu has said Ankara won’t allow Kurds to occupy the border Syrian town of Azaz and will give them "an even tougher response," if they attempt to develop success in north Syria.

Russia is expected today to raise the issue of Turkey’s shelling of the Syrian territory at a session of the UN Security Council.