ASSAD SAYS TURKISH SUPPORT ‘MAIN FACTOR’ IN IDLIB TAKEOVER

15:15 17/04/2015 ” IN THE WORLD

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Turkish military and logistical
support was the main factor that helped insurgents to seize the
northwestern city of Idlib from government control last month,
Reuters reported.

Idlib, a short drive from the Turkish border, is only the second
provincial capital to fall to insurgents in the four-year-long civil
war. It was captured by an alliance of Islamist groups including al
Qaeda’s Syrian arm, the Nusra Front.

“Any war weakens any army, no matter how strong, no matter how modern,”
Assad said in an interview with Swedish newspaper Expressen, published
on Friday.

In the fall of Idlib, “the main factor was the huge support that came
through Turkey; logistic support, and military support, and of course
financial support that came through Saudi Arabia and Qatar.”

Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic, asked to comment
by Reuters, said: “Claims that armed forces coming from Turkey have
participated in the Idlib offensive do not reflect the truth. This
is out of the question. These are baseless allegations orginated by
the Syrian regime which should not be taken seriously.”