I guess I am the only one here who posts about the Middle East and wars there
"For more than three years, Russia and Turkey have been shadow boxing on the soils of northern Syria. In the past three weeks, the stalking has turned to shooting; the Turks aiming their guns at the Moscow-allied Assad regime, and the Russians increasingly swinging their turrets towards the Turkish military.
In a war fought largely through proxies, any direct conflict between main players was considered highly dangerous and, until Thursday night, unlikely. But after the deaths of at least 30 Turkish troops – most likely the consequence of a Russian airstrike – both sides are in a standoff from which neither can afford to back down.
The powerplay has led to suffering without recent parallel anywhere in the world. It has also exposed the thresholds at which Turkey – a backer of the Syrian opposition – and Russia, a resolute supporter of the Syrian leader, are prepared to operate.
After the airstrike in the town of Boulian, Turkish drones obliterated Syrian positions throughout Idlib, just as their artillery had been doing in the weeks before it. Ankara’s assessment had been that airstrikes carried out on its troops during that time were best avenged by targeting Russia’s weaker proxy, the national army."
In a war fought largely through proxies, any direct conflict between main players was considered highly dangerous and, until Thursday night, unlikely. But after the deaths of at least 30 Turkish troops – most likely the consequence of a Russian airstrike – both sides are in a standoff from which neither can afford to back down.
What happens from here will have wide implications for both countries, and potentially far beyond. More importantly, the next moves will define the dying stages of the Syrian war and determine the fate of up to 3 million desperate people who have been trapped between a Russian-led onslaught and a Turkish pushback.
After the airstrike in the town of Boulian, Turkish drones obliterated Syrian positions throughout Idlib, just as their artillery had been doing in the weeks before it. Ankara’s assessment had been that airstrikes carried out on its troops during that time were best avenged by targeting Russia’s weaker proxy, the national army."
Turkey is invading another country and the US supports it? WHY