ANKARA: At least six Turkish military personnel, the Turkish president said Monday.

According to the sources of AP, The exchange between Ankara and Damascus came hours after a large Turkish military convoy entered the northwestern province of Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria.

It is likely to further increase tensions between the two neighboring countries as such direct clashes have been rare and could also cause friction between Moscow and Ankara, which have sought to coordinate their actions in Syria.

On the other hand Turkey warned Russia not to get involved as it retaliated against the Syrian regime for killing 5 of its soldiers in Idlib, northwest Syria on Monday.

“I want to especially tell the Russian authorities that our interlocutor here is not you but the (Syrian) regime, and do not stand in our way,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters ahead of a trip to Kiev.

Erdogan said Turkey would continue to retaliate against attacks on its forces.

“Turkey has retaliated against this attack as it did previously, and it continues the retaliation, ” Erdogan told reporters at Istanbul Airport before departing for Ukraine on an official visit.

Erdogan calls on Europe to support Turkey’s stance in Libya

Earlier in this month, Turkey’s parliament has approved a bill to deploy troops to Libya in support of the embattled United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), paving the way for increased military cooperation despite criticism from opposition legislators.

Turkish lawmakers voted 325-184 at an emergency session in favour of allowing a one-year mandate to deploy troops and follows a request for assistance by the beleaguered Tripoli government, which has been under sustained attack since April by warlord Khalifa Haftar.