A Turkish military column is en route to Al-Eis
On December 7, two convoys of the Turkish military entered the northern Syrian governorate of Idlib through the Kafr Lusen border crossing, according to the Syrian pro-opposition news outlet Enab Baladi.
Local sources told Enab Baladi that one of the convoys headed towards the Turkish observation post in the town of Murak in the northern Hama countryside. The other convoy, which included several battle tanks, headed to the observation post in the town of Shir Mughar in the northwestern Hama countryside.
The Turkish military established these two observation posts along with ten others earlier this year as a part of an agreement reached during the Astana talks. Following the recent demilitarized zone agreement, the Turkish military began to reinforce these posts.
While some local observers believe that Turkey is stepping up its military presence in Idlib as a part of the agreement with Russia, others say that Ankara is actually taking advantage of the agreement to expand its influence in northern Syria.
