Turkey retaliates for Assad's attack, kills over 2,000 soldiers

The Turkish Defense Ministry has announced the enemy's losses as part of Operation Spring Shield, Anadolu quotes Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar as saying.

"Some 2,557 Syrian regime troops, two drones, eight helicopters, 153 tanks, dozens of howitzers and three air defense systems have been neutralized," Akar said.

The Turkish military launched Operation Spring Shield in Idlib in response to the brutal attack on February 27, Akar said Sunday.

He noted that the only goal of the operation was self-defense against Assad's soldiers and units that had attacked Turkish troops in the area.

The operation was launched after Assad's forces carried out airstrikes, killing more than 30 Turkish soldiers and injuring dozens of others in the area.

Thursday's attack was one of a series since January targeting Turkish troops, with Turkish officials maintaining a pledge that such assaults would not go unanswered.