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Turkey Downs Syrian Fighter Jet in Northwest Idlib

Associated Press

   ANKARA - Turkey shot down a Syrian fighter jet in Syria's Idlib
   province Tuesday, marking the third such incident in as many days, as
   steady clashes between the two national armies appeared to signal a new
   stage in the nine-year old war.
   The Turkish Defense Ministry announced on Twitter that the Turkish
   military downed a L-39 warplane belonging to Syrian government forces.
   Syrian state-run television reported that Turkish forces targeted a
   warplane as it was carrying out operations against "terrorist groups"
   in the rebel-held Idlib region. It was not immediately clear what
   happened to the plane's crew.
   Turkey has sent thousands of troops into Idlib to support the
   opposition fighters holed up there, but hasn't been able to roll back
   the government's advance.
   Erdogan has said he hopes to broker a cease-fire in Syria later this
   week when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
   But the Russian-backed offensive into the country's last rebel-held
   area has led to more and more frequent clashes between the Syrian and
   Turkish armies that have killed dozens on both sides. It has also
   threatened a collapse in Turkish cooperation with Moscow, a key backer
   of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
   A Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded Monday night, Turkey's
   Defense Ministry said, raising to 55 the number of Turkish losses this
   month in clashes with Russian-backed Syrian forces. The death toll
   includes 33 Turkish soldiers killed Thursday in a single airstrike.

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