Turkey evacuates large military post in Syria

Turkish troops in northwestern Syria have been evacuating one of their largest military bases in the area, which was surrounded by Syrian government troops for months, activists said Tuesday.
There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials.
Activists and opposition media platforms reported the military evacuation, posting footage and photos of Turkish trucks and equipment driving north of Morek.
Turkish TV station Haberturk quoted unnamed officials saying that Turkey is moving the base to an area farther north in the northwestern province of Idlib still controlled by Syrian opposition forces backed by Ankara.
There was no immediate government confirmation of that report.
Youssef Hamoud, a spokesman for the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition group, confirmed that the troops are redeploying in the north, adding that he was not aware of evacuations of other bases.
It was not immediately clear whether the withdrawal is part of a deal to reposition Turkish observation points inside the opposition-held enclave or is aimed at reducing Turkey's military presence in the area.
As part of an earlier cease-fire deal, Turkey deployed troops to man 12 observation points in the northwest to separate government forces and Syrian opposition fighters and monitor the truce negotiated with Russia.
But the cease-fire failed to curtail government advances, including the one that encircled the Turkish base in Morek late last year.