Panorama

Today's program focuses on the escalation of fighting in Idlib, Syria, where last week Syrian government airstrikes killed at least 33 Turkish troops imbedded with the jihadist insurgency that dominate the northern province. Turkish forces have since retaliated, claiming to have "neutralized" over two thousand Syrian soldiers. Russia appears to be seeking to restore the de-escalatation accord with Turkey, at the same time that it has warned it could not guarantee the safety of Turkish aircraft in Syrian airspace. NATO delivered a statement in support of fellow member Turkey but is divided over any possible military defence of Turkey after its 2016 invasión of Syria. In the meantime, the fighting in Idlib, where Syrian government forces seek to recover territories under Al-Qaeda-affliliate Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, defended by Turkish troops, has caused the 9-year war's largest single wave of human displacement. According to the UN nearly 950,000 civilians have been displaced since December. And, Turkey, in a move to pressure the European Unión, has opened its borders, releasing thousands of refugees and migrants, who have been met in Greece by tear gas, closed borders and neo-nazi violence.