BEIRUT: Syrian
government forces surrounded a Turkish observation post in the northwest Friday
after overrunning nearby areas, a war monitor said, while Ankara vowed not to
withdraw from its position. "Regime forces have surrounded the Turkish
observation post in Morek after capturing other towns and villages in this
pocket," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Speaking at a
news conference in the Lebanese capital, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu said "our observation point there is not cut-off and nobody can
isolate our forces and our soldiers." "We are there, not because we
can't leave but because we don't want to leave," he said, adding that the
issue was being discussed with Damascus' allies Russia and Iran.

The Syrian regime
has upped the stakes with Ankara in its months-long Russian-backed offensive
against the jihadist-ruled Idlib region, which borders Turkey. Moscow said on
Friday that it has agreed with Ankara to "activate mutual efforts" to
ease the situation in Syria's last major opposition bastion. Turkey later
announced that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would visit Moscow on Tuesday for
talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, a meeting confirmed by the
Kremlin.

The town of
Morek, where the Turkish troops have allegedly been cut off, lies in the north
of Hama province, part of the region centered on neighboring Idlib province
that has been under government assault - initially by air - since late April.  Government forces took control of Morek and
nearby towns including Kafr Zita on Friday, Syrian state news agency SANA said.
Jihadists and allied rebels withdrew from the area ahead of the Syrian army's
entry into the strategic town of Khan Sheikhun on Wednesday and government
forces took control without resistance, according to the Britain-based
Observatory.

'Whatever is
necessary'

The Morek
observation post, established  under a
deal with Moscow, is one of 12 the Turkish army set up along the front line
between Syrian government forces on one side - and the jihadists and Ankara's
rebel allies on the other side - last year. On Tuesday Cavusoglu vowed that the
Turkish army "will do whatever is necessary" to defend these
positions. The Turkish presidency has also said that it will not abandon any of
its observation posts in Syria. The Turkish troops' mission was to oversee the
establishment of a buffer zone agreed by Ankara and Moscow in September.

But the jihadists
failed to pull back from the zone as agreed and in April, government and
Russian forces resumed intense bombardment of the region. The Kremlin on Friday
said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep
Tayyip Erdogan agreed to "activate mutual efforts" to ease the
situation in the Idlib region. "They discussed the issues of
Russian-Turkish cooperation in the context of stabilisation of the
de-escalation zone," a statement said.

Erdogan is to
host his Russian and Iranian counterparts for a summit in Ankara next month to
discuss the latest developments. The Turkish presidency on Friday said regime
attacks in Idlib have led to a "grave humanitarian crisis".
"These attacks damage the efforts to regulate the Syrian conflict,"
it said. The pro-government Al-Watan newspaper on Friday said the latest regime
gains in Idlib will force amendments to the buffer zone deal.

Continued
offensive

Since January,
the Idlib region has been ruled by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which is
led by jihadists from Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate. Other rebel groups
allied with Turkey were forced to cede overall control. On August 8, Syrian
government forces launched a ground offensive with Russian support against the
southern part of the rebel-held region, eyeing control of the main highway from
Damascus through Idlib province to second city Aleppo.

Khan Sheikhun and
Maarat Al-Numan both lie along the highway. The Syrian army on Friday said that
its military "push is ongoing," after it captured Morek and
neighboring areas. "Armed terrorist groups have lost the ability to stop
our army's heroes" it said. Damascus said Thursday it will open a corridor
for civilians to leave the area. But most civilians had already fled before the
pocket was cut off, according to the Observatory.

Since the end of
April, more than 400,000 people have fled their homes, particularly in the
south of Idlib and north Hama, the United Nations says. Around 900 civilians
have been killed, according to the Observatory. Following a string of victories
against jihadists and other rebel groups, Assad's government now controls
around 60 percent of Syrian territory. The war in Syria has killed more than
370,000 people since it started with the brutal suppression of anti-government
protests in 2011. - AFP