Military operations

Turkey and Russia have carried out their second joint patrolling on the M4 highway in the Idlib province of Syria, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced on March 23. 

Turkey's Defense Ministry said on March 19 that two of its soldiers were killed and another was injured in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, in a rocket attack by "some radical groups".

In a written statement, the ministry said the radical groups in the de-escalation zone attacked Turkish soldiers, adding that its forces had opened fire on targets in the area.

Turkish and Russian troops have conducted the first joint patrolling mission on the M4 highway in Idlib province of Syria, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on March 15, in line with the March 5 agreement sealed between Ankara and Moscow that brought about a temporary cease-fire to the enclave.

Multiple rockets fell on March 14 morning inside Iraq's Taji military base that houses U.S.-led coalition troops, for the second time in a week, Reuters reported on March 14.

An Iraqi colonel inside the base told Reuters he heard at least 10 rockets hit the base and said he could now hear sirens blaring.

Iraq condemned overnight U.S. airstrikes on March 13, saying they killed six people and warning of dangerous consequences for what it called a violation of sovereignty and targeted aggression against the nation's regular armed forces.

Turkish and Russian military delegations have agreed to establish joint coordination centers and the military activities in Idlib will be managed from these centers, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on March 13.

Turkey's defense minister met with his British counterpart on March 12.

Hulusi Akar received Ben Wallace, who was in Ankara as an official guest, with a military ceremony, according to a statement from Turkey's Defense Ministry.

After the ceremony, Akar and Wallace held a meeting with their delegations.

Talks between Turkey and Russia on the implementation of a ceasefire agreement in Syria's northwestern Idlib region are "positive and constructive," Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said.

"Our activities continue within the context of the [ceasefire] agreement. The situation has been calm," Akar told reporters in parliament.

Turkey's military will patrol to the north of a security corridor being set up around a highway in northwest Syria's Idlib province and Russian forces will patrol the southern side, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on March 10.

Turkish army "neutralized" 13 YPG/PKK terrorists in northwestern Syria, the Defense Ministry said on March 9.

"13 YPG/PKK terrorists plotting an attack on the Turkish elements in the area of [Operation] Euphrates Shield from Tel Rifaat [northwestern Syria] were neutralized in a successful operation," the ministry said in a tweet.