The sudden advance of armed groups hostile to the Damascus regime plays into the hands of Ankara, which controls these militias – who are also hostile to the Kurds.

Analysis: The crisis could allow Turkey to advance two long-held goals: the mass return of Syrian refugees and eliminating the Kurdish presence on its border.

"The liberation of Aleppo brought us such joy because Aleppo was a source of pain," he told Reuters in Istanbul, where some half a million Syrians live. Syrian rebels captured Aleppo from President Bashar al-Assad's forces,

Turkey will be the key player in ending the rebel push by Syrian insurgents against President Bashar al-Assad.