U.S. condemns Idlib assaults, stands by Turkey: Secretary of State Pompeo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday condemned the Syrian government’s attacks on Idlib province, and stated his country’s support for Turkey in light of Syria’s mortar attacks on a Turkish observation post on Monday.

“The United States once again condemns the continued, unjustifiable, and ruthless assaults on the people of Idlib,” Pompeo said in a statement. “We stand by our NATO ally Turkey in the aftermath of the attack, which resulted in the death of multiple Turkish personnel serving at an observation post used for coordination and de-escalation, and fully support Turkey’s justified self-defense actions in response.”

(This story corrects day of attacks to Monday from Tuesday in first paragraph).

(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)