Turkey will use force against those violating a ceasefire in Syria's northwestern Idlib region including "radical" groups, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday, according to state media.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that his military would strike Syrian government forces by air or ground anywhere in Syria if another Turkish soldier was hurt, after 13 troops were killed by Syrian forces in a week.
Akar also said Turkey was sending additional reinforcements to its positions in Idlib to ensure a ceasefire in the region is maintained and to "control" the region, state-run Anadolu news agency quoted him as saying.
The Turkish military has dispatched more soldiers and stationed multiple rocket launchers on the Syrian border. According to Turkish media, the rocket launchers were deployed in Hatay province, while commando squads headed to their units in armored vehicles.
Turkey has been reinforcing its observation posts in Idlib following two attacks by the Assad regime forces against Turkish troops.
The military previously sent a convoy of at least 330 military vehicles, the largest of its kind sent to the region in recent times.
