IDLIB, SYRIA (CNN) - The Turkish armed forces are setting up monitoring posts and taking part in the establishment of an Idlib Province de-escalation zone in northern Syria.
The move is within the parameters of the Astana (Kazakhstan) peace process developed for monitoring cease-fires in Syria, allowing humanitarian aid and creating conditions for those forced to leave to return to their homes.
In a speech earlier this month to his party, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the operation against al-Qaida-linked fighters is part of an agreement, the Astana peace process, among Turkey, Russia and Iran.
The Syrian civil war has claimed more than 400,000 lives since it started in 2011, and displaced more than 5 million people.
U.S. military assets are taking part in separate military operations in Syria aimed at defeating ISIS.
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