NATO Not Discussing Invoking Collective Defense Over Attack On Turkish Troops - State Dept

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2020) NATO is not at the moment discussing invoking collective defense after Turkish troops were killed in an airstrike in Syria, US Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison told reporters.

Earlier in the day, Turkish Hatay Province Governor Rahmi Dogan said 22 Turkish soldiers had been killed in a Syrian airstrike in Idlib.

"Everything is on the table.

This is a new development. This is a big development, and our alliance is with Turkey," Hutchison said on Thursday. "[But] there's not talk of Article 5 [collective defense] right now."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan convened a security meeting on Thursday evening, attended by the heads of security agencies and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, according to the presidential administration.