Some 100 Turkish Special Forces Troops Cross into Syria - Source

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) — At least 100 Turkish special forces soldiers have crossed into Syria’s northern Idlib province through a checkpoint on the Turkish-Syrian border, a source in Kurdish militia told Sputnik on Thursday.

"Turkey has sent 100 special forces troops to Syria through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing point in the Idlib province," the source said.

Turkey has been shelling Kurdish militias in northern Syria along the Turkish border since February. Ankara has claimed that the Syrian Kurds have links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Kurdish pro-independence organization considered to be terrorist by Turkey.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting several opposition factions and militant groups, such as the Islamic State (ISIL, also known as Daesh). Kurdish militias have also been fighting against Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States.

In a late March interview with Sputnik Assad called Turkey one of the countries directly supporting terrorism in Syria and Iraq.

Russia has repeatedly called on Turkey to stop facilitating arms shipments across the border with Syria.