14 October 2017 12:00 am
BEIRUT REUTERS Oct 13- Turkey’s military announced on Friday it had begun setting up observation posts in northwest Syria’s Idlib province, part of a deployment that appears partly aimed at containing a Kurdish militia. Turkey says its operation there along with Syrian rebel groups it backs is part of a deal it reached last month with Russia and Iran in Astana, Kazakhstan, to reduce fighting between insurgents and the Syrian government.
The military said its forces in Syria were carrying out their duties in line with rules of engagement agreed with Russia and Iran. However, the deployment is also intended to rein in the Kurdish YPG militia, which holds the adjacent Afrin region, a senior rebel official involved in the operation said.