Turkey says its forces captured Syrian soldiers

Istanbul: Turkish military forces captured 18 Syrian government soldiers in northeastern Syria, Turkey's defence minister said on Thursday, in one of the most dramatic examples of an increasingly muddled battleground following the withdrawal of US forces from the area.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar.Credit:AP

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said the soldiers were captured during Turkish reconnaissance operations southeast of Ras al-Ayn but didn't say when.

Ankara was already in talks with Russia to hand over the Syrian soldiers, he added. Akar spoke during a visit to Turkish troops at the border with Syria. His comments were carried on the official ministry website.

A Syrian Kurdish official said the soldiers were captured on Tuesday during an intense battle between Syrian government forces and Turkey-backed fighters. Kurdish fighters were fighting alongside the Syrian troops.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief reporters.

Flames and smoke rising from a Syrian government air strike near Idlib in 2018. Credit:White Helmets/AP

Late on Thursday, Russia Today TV reported that Turkey handed over the 18 soldiers in an operation mediated by Moscow.

The station showed a video of Syrian soldiers, most of them in uniform, boarding what appeared to be a Russian helicopter. A couple of the soldiers were in civilian clothes and seemed injured. There were no more details were available of the handover.

Turkey agreed to a cease-fire brokered by Russia in which Kurdish fighters would withdraw 30 kilometres away from the Turkish border. As part of the deal, Syrian government forces would take positions along the frontier.

In a wide-ranging interview late Thursday, Syrian President Bashar Assad described the Russian-Turkish deal as "good" and a temporary arrangement. He said with the deal Moscow has managed to reign in Turkish aspirations to seize more Syrian lands and outmanoeuvred Washington. The deal also prevented bringing in international forces to Syria's northeast.

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