Dozens of Turkish troops have been killed in Syrian government air raids, marking a dramatic escalation in the conflict between Ankara and Moscow-backed forces in northwestern Syria.

The 33 deaths followed an attack in Idlib late on Thursday and come as Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air power, are attempting to seize the last remaining territory held by Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces.

Turkey-backed fighters recapture key town in Syria’s Idlib

Syria’s Idlib sees ghost towns as hundreds of thousands flee

Erdogan threatens ‘imminent’ Turkish operation in Syria

The toll is the deadliest suffered by the Turkish army since it intervened in Syria in 2016 and is raising fears of a confrontation between Turkey and Russia on the battlefield.

Here are the latest updates:

Friday, February 28

20:30 GMT – Turkish soldier killed, two wounded

One Turkish soldier was killed and two others wounded in a fresh round of artillery fire by the Russian-backed Syrian forces in northwestern Syria, according to Turkey’s defence ministry.

The defence ministry also said on Twitter that 19 military equipment, including eight tanks and four armoured combat vehicles, were destroyed.

T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı

✔@tcsavunma

· 13h

Replying to @tcsavunma

Hayatını kaybeden aziz şehitlerimize Allah’tan rahmet, kederli ailelerine, TSK ile asil milletimize başsağlığı ve sabır, yaralı personelimiz için de acil şifalar dileriz. Şehitlerimizin kanını hiçbir zaman yerde bırakmadık, bundan sonra da bırakmayacağız!

T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı

✔@tcsavunma

Bölgedeki çeşitli kaynaklardan alınan son bilgilere göre; ateş altına alınan rejim hedeflerinden 8 tank, 4 zırhlı muharebe aracı, 5 obüs ve 2 çok namlulu roketatarın imha edildiği, 56 Rejim unsurunun da etkisiz hale getirildiği öğrenilmiştir.

8,410

9:17 PM – Feb 28, 2020

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17:30 GMT – Turkish officials demand ‘sustainable truce’

Turkey officials met with a Russian delegation in Ankara on Friday and said a sustainable ceasefire in Idlib region must be established immediately.

“We stressed to the Russian side the necessity of declaration of a sustainable truce, de-escalation [of the situation on the field], and withdrawal of the regime forces to the borders agreed in the Sochi deal,” Turkish Foreign Minister spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement.

The meeting took place at the Russian side’s request, said Aksoy.

Could Turkey’s response to Syrian air strikes trigger a new refugee crisis? (24:31)

17:00 GMT – UN Security Council to meet on Friday

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday.

The meeting is expected to begin at 21:00 GMT, the acting chairman of the council, Belgian ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, told reporters.

He said the meeting has been requested by the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Estonia, and the Dominican Republic.

16:30 GMT – UK calls for a UNSC emergency meeting

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemns the killing of Turkish soldiers in Idlib and said he will be calling for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

“There is no justification for such blatant disregard of international law or basic human decency,” Raab said in a statement.

“Building on new sanctions announced earlier this month, we will work with our international partners to tighten this screw further until these crimes stop.”

16:15 GMT – France offers condolences, asserts solidarity with Turkey

France Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drien declares his solidarity with Turkey and condemns the “repeated violations” of human rights by the Syrian government and Russia.

“I reiterated France’s call to the Syrian regime and to Russia to end the military offensive in the northwest of Syria, to fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and to return to the ceasefire arrangements of autumn 2018 to immediately end the hostilities,” said Le Drian in a statement said following a conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavasoglu.

I’m now handing over this blog to my colleague Virginia Pietromarchi in Doha, Qatar.

15:10 GMT – Greece will not ‘tolerate illegal entry’ of refugees and migrants

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, prime minister of Greece, says “significant numbers” of refugees and migrants are gathering at the land border between Greece and Turkey and are attempting to enter the country “illegally”.

In a post on Twitter, Mitsotakis is warning that Greece will not allow the illegal entry of refugees and migrants into the country. “We are increasing border security,” he added.

Prime Minister GR

✔@PrimeministerGR

· 19h

Significant numbers of migrants and refugees have gathered in large groups at the Greek-Turkish land border and have attempted to enter the country illegally. I want to be clear: no illegal entries into Greece will be tolerated. We are increasing our border security.

Prime Minister GR

✔@PrimeministerGR

Greece does not bear any responsibility for the tragic events in Syria and will not suffer the consequences of decisions taken by others. I have informed the European Union of the situation.

4,742

3:32 PM – Feb 28, 2020

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14:45 GMT – Refugees, migrants head to Turkey-Greece border

Local media in Turkey are posting videos and pictures of dozens of refugees and migrants in the country heading towards the border with Greece while one Athens-based newspaper is reporting that Greek border guards are using tear gas to deter some 500 people trying to enter the European country.

This comes after Turkey’s foreign ministry warned that refugees and migrants in the country are moving towards Europe because of the situation in Idlib.

Yeni Safak, a Turkish newspaper, posted a video of people gathering at Turkey’s Pazarkule border crossing, while Hurriyet also posted a video of people crossing the Evros river border between the two countries.

Kathimerini, a Greek newspaper, said border guards at Evros made “deterrent use” of tear gas and that “this is the first time such a large group of migrants and refugees [have] attempted a crossing en masse at Evros”.

Group of migrants waiting on no man's land between Turkey and Greece, at the Turkeys Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies

A picture taken from Pazarkule shows a group of migrants waiting on no man’s land between Turkey and Greece, at the Turkeys Pazarkule border crossing with Greece’s Kastanies, in Turkey, February 28, 2020 [Huseyin Aldemir/ Reuters]

14:16 GMT – Turkey in ‘crisis containment mode’ with Russia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on the situation in Idlib, earlier today indicates Ankara is seeking to avoid conflict with Moscow, according to an analyst.

“Any Turkish response against Russia will factor in the US and NATO’s responses. Unless Turkey gets a really strong commitment from the US and NATO – such as imposing a no-fly zone arrangement over Idlib – then its response towards Russia will be physically raising the cost of the war for Russia in terms of targeting Syrian regime forces, and making a distinction between the regime and Russia,” says Galip Dalay, fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

“Turkey will continue to target the Syrian regime but will be very careful in terms of targeting Russia. Turkey will most likely increase its geographic scope when it comes to targeting Syrian regime forces beyond Idlib, which may expand to Aleppo and east of the Euphrates. But it will do so in a way that will not completely destroy its relations with Russia,” he tells Al Jazeera.

13:30 GMT – Bulgaria to send 1,000 troops to Turkey border

Bulgaria is ready to deploy 1,000 soldiers to its border with Turkey to prevent the entry of migrants into its territory, according to the country’s defence minister Krasimir Karakachanov.

Karakachanov, in a Facebook post, says the Bulgarian army “will take all necessary measures to protect” its borders.

Greece is also boosting patrols on its border with Turkey.

13:00 GMT – Putin, Erdogan ‘voice concern’ over Idlib

A statement from the Kremlin says the Russian and Turkish presidents, in a phone call earlier today, voiced “concern about the escalation of tension in Idlib” following the deaths of Turkish soldiers.

The conversation took place on Turkey’s initiative, the Kremlin says in a statement, adding: “Both sides reaffirmed that it was necessary to adopt additional measures in order to normalise the situation in northwestern Syria.”

12:20 GMT – White Helmet rescuer describes ‘disastrous situation in Idlib’

Abdulla Hussein, a rescue worker with the Syrian White Helmets, says Syrian government air raids on Idlib’s second-largest city – Maaret al-Numan – are so severe his colleagues and medical relief groups are not able to access the area.

“The situation in Idlib is disastrous in every meaning of the word. The people there are running out of options. The Syrian government shelling, backed by Russian warplanes, has targeted even the main roads that the civilians are using to flee different towns and villages,” he tells Al Jazeera in Reyhanli, southern Turkey.

“The last two days, with the advancement of Syrian forces towards Mount Zawiya area [a highland area that includes Maaret al-Numan], civilians there have left their villages and towns. Our teams and medical relief groups can’t even access the area due to the severity of the aerial bombardment there.”

12:00 GMT – NATO calls on Russia, Syria to ‘stop indiscriminate attacks’

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary-general, is calling on Russia and Syria to stop the offensive in Idlib and to “fully engage in UN-led efforts for a peaceful political solution” to the conflict.

“We call on Russia and the Syrian regime to stop the attacks, to stop the indiscriminate air attacks … we also call on Russia and Syria to fully respect the international law,” Stoltenberg tells reporters in Brussels, Belgium.

“This dangerous situation must be de-escalated.”

11:30 GMT – Erdogan, Putin discuss Idlib in telephone call

The Turkish and Russian presidents discussed the situation in Idlib in a phone call, Interfax news agency says, quoting the Russian foreign minister.

“The conversation was detailed and focused on the need to fulfil the original agreements pertaining to the Idlib de-escalation area,” says Sergey Lavrov, adding that the two leaders are also looking into the possibility of a meeting in the near future.

33 Turkish soldiers killed in Syrian air raid in Idlib (5:33)

11:00 GMT – EU warns of ‘major international’ conflict in Syria

Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, is calling for an urgent end to the escalation in northwestern Syria, warning the tensions could slide into a “major open international military confrontation”.

“It is also causing unbearable humanitarian suffering and putting civilians in danger,” he says in a Twitter post. “EU calls on all sides dor rapid de-escalation and regrets all loss of life.”

Hello, and welcome to Al Jazeera’s live coverage of the mounting tensions between Turkey and Syria in northwestern Idlib. I’m Zaheena Rasheed and I’m covering the latest developments from Doha, Qatar, and my colleague Linah Alsaafin is in Reyhanli, southern Turkey.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA NEWS

The Bushmaster ACR forever gone?!?!?

Paramedic, Ukraine

Company Description

Iqarus has a proud history, extending over 40 years, of delivering fully-integrated healthcare solutions in complex and demanding operating environments. We operate across the medical spectrum from primary care and occupational health, to advanced pre-hospital trauma care, through to full scale laboratory, radiological, diagnostic and surgical capabilities. Our approach projects the highest standards of clinical care into the environments in which we operate, through a combination of local knowledge, multinational medical staff, integrated global clinical governance, training and medical supply. Our highly-skilled operational teams deliver frontline and preventative services to mitigate health risk and help organisations keep their workforces safe, healthy, resilient and productive. By increasing the quality, simplicity and efficiency of health delivery we enhance our clients’ return on investment in health and in many instances, help elevate social and/or humanitarian objectives too. Our clients include multinationals and SMEs, governments, non-governmental organisations, supra-nationals, and non-governmental organisations.

Job Description

The Paramedic is responsible to provide efficient and immediate medical care to client members.

Qualifications

Must have a formal Paramedic diploma, certification or bachelor’s degree.
Must have a minimum of 3 years of experience in remote environments.
Hold and maintain a current Paramedic license from country of origin.
Must have current certifications in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) or PreHospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS),
Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) and Paediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS),Emergency Paediatric Care (EPC) or equivalent are desirable.
Training qualifications or experience in delivering emergency care training is desirable

Additional Information

Provide primary and emergency medical treatment in accordance with approved protocols and licensure, in both field and small clinic environments.
Assess a patient’s condition and determine a course of treatment.
Provide initial primary health care to all patients in the field.
Provide emergency field first-aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured patients.
Document medical care given to patients in form of auditable medical records.
Provides medical training to client as requested.

Note: This Job is indicative to Project award.

APPLY

PROJECT MANAGER, LIBYA

GardaWorld Careers

Position	Project Manager
Job Type	Contractor, GW Consulting Middle East Limited
Project	Ericsson Libya
Location	Tripoli, Libya
Est. Start Date	*Depart home hub 23rd March, arrive Tripoli 24th March* (subject to further confirmation, visa processing, successful induction)
Duration of Task	Open ended – permanent
Rate	GardaWorld offers a competitive daily rate (Contractor will only be paid whilst on-duty – no payment made for Off-duty) *subject to local tax (if applicable)
Leave Rotation	6 weeks on, 6 weeks off, subject to operational requirements
Travel Pay	Contractors are not entitled to pay while travelling.
Visa Requirements	The Company will apply for Letters of Invitation on behalf of the Contractor; visa costs incurred by the Contractor shall be reimbursed.
Package	GardaWorld will provide the Independent Contractor with appropriate accommodation, insurance, flights and life support while on duty.
Flight Package	GardaWorld will provide an economy class return ticket per rotation to the project location from a hub airport as close as reasonably practicable to the Contractor’s declared home address. The Contractor will be asked to declare their preferences for a primary, secondary and tertiary hub airport from the GardaWorld hub list at the commencement of their engagement. Where possible and commercially acceptable, GardaWorld will look to book travel to and from one of the preferred hubs. The Contractor will be responsible for any travel arrangements between the hub airport and their home address. Further information can be found in the GardaWorld Contractor Travel SOI, copy will be provided upon acceptance.
Hiring Criteria	SKILLS & COMPETENCE Security Management experience Stakeholder Management Operational experience. Relevant Theatre experience Liaison experience. Client handling skills. Training delivery experience. KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE Essential: Detailed knowledge and understanding of the operational and tactical requirements for mobile security operations and static guarding operations. Detailed knowledge of operational compliancy &, minimum standards applied within ISO18788 Knowledge and experience of Business Management Systems & HR processes for the management of a large ethnically diverse team. Knowledge of journey management in a hostile environment. Knowledge of client relationships. Possess tact, sound judgement and ability to communicate clearly, verbally and in writing. High degree of IT literacy including comprehensive understanding of MS Office software (Word, Excel, Visio, PowerPoint etc.) Familiar with corporate IT ecosystems, internal communication platforms and cloud-based storage systems Fluent written and spoken English EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS Essential: Capable of leading and commanding the respect of a 30 strong local national team. Progressive management experience in an international environment. Operational experience in a hostile environment, preferably in Libya. Experience of physical security and guarding operations. Preferred: Previous Libya experience. Experience of operating autonomously. Ability to work in arduous conditions
Job Duties	SUMMARY The Project Manager (PM) will be responsible for the execution of this contract in Libya and will report to the Ericsson Country management and Corporate Security Team. The PM will be responsible for day to day management of GardaWorld’s project manpower at the Tripoli site (mobile and static). He or she will also provide all necessary administrative support to the client whose country management lead is based in Italy. As such, the PM is responsible and for liaison with the Ericsson Country Management and Corporate Security department as well as any other departments as required. The PM will be responsible for the maintenance of an extremely high level of discipline and standards within GardaWorld’s SOPs and Ericsson Core Values. The PMwill ensure that all GardaWorld Contractors meet operational and training standards and fully comply with SOPs. The Project Manager should produce and maintain Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and liaise daily with the Ericsson Security dept and produce a daily operational and situational report. The PM must be a solution-oriented individual who needs no encouragement to use his/her initiative to think of and present new solutions to the client business units. They must have empathy to build trust and connect well with the local Libya team. He or she must be highly engaged with the Ericsson local organisation to know what is going on day-to-day and to be a reliable and trustworthy link to the Ericsson team in Italy. They must be very good communicators who understand how to be flexible to meet the client’s business needs. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES Management accountability for operational aspects of delivery of the contract. To ensure Journey Management Process on all client moves. To deliver and oversee effective training in line with the agreed pre-deployment and post deployment refresher training programme. Maintain high standards of customer service. Maintain management accountability/responsibility for all contract equipment. Maintain adherence to and reporting of the contractual stipulated Key Performance Indicators. Proactively meet the changing requirements of the Authority. Comply with all Ericsson reporting requirements.