Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday to persist in offering “every kind of support” to Syria while denouncing the recent surge of violence in the northwest.
In order to help our neighbor Syria recover and maintain its territorial integrity, as well as to bring about peace with all of its ethnic and sectarian minority, we will continue to offer every form of assistance,” he declared.
In the greatest wave of violence since the overthrow of strongman Bashar al-Assad in December, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Monday that 1,068 civilians, the great majority of whom were Alawites, had been slain by security forces and affiliated organizations since Thursday.
Erdogan of Turkey says he is prepared to step in and stop Syria from becoming divided.
The Assad family is a member of the Alawite community, whose northwest coastal heartland is where the killings took place.
Erdogan praised Ahmed al-Sharaa’s pledge to “hold accountable” anyone responsible for killing civilians, saying, “We strongly condemn any attack, terrorism, and violent acts targeting Syria’s unity, integrity, and social peace.”
Without providing further details, Erdogan added that Ankara was “taking the necessary measures to prevent any unfavorable developments from affecting Turkey.”
Turkey, which backs the Damascus-based interim government, has thousands of troops stationed in Syria.
