WASHINGTON, February 17. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has had a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stress his concerns about the situation in Syria’s Idlib and underlined that he would like to see Russia end its support of the Syrian government, Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere told reporters on Sunday.
"President Trump expressed concern over the violence in Idlib, Syria, and thanked President Erdogan for Turkey’s efforts to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe," the White House informed. "President Trump conveyed the United States’ desire to see an end to Russia’s support for the Assad regime’s atrocities and for a political resolution to the Syrian conflict."
The situation in Idlib deteriorated dramatically after another attempt by the Russian and Turkish militaries to enforce a ceasefire that was met by increased attacks from the terrorists. As a result, military specialists from Russia and Turkey were killed. The Syrian army retaliated, striking extremists and capturing the town of Saraqib near Idlib on February 5.
On the morning of February 11, the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition launched massive attacks against Syrian army troops on two fronts - the town of Saraqib and the community of Nayrab situated to the north of Saraqib in Idlib. The opposition’s offensive was carried out with support from Turkish artillery forces. Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists took an active part in the fighting. Nevertheless, the Syrian forces repelled these attacks, with the militants suffering enormous losses.