Turkish soldiers guarding the tomb of Suleyman Shah in Syria were successfully evacuated to Turkey in the military operation early on Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
Davutoglu said the remains of Suleyman Shah, grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, would be moved to a different area of Syria which has been brought under Turkish military control.
Syrian State TV described the incursion as "flagrant agression".
"Turkey goes beyond supporting ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist gangs to launch a blatant aggression on Syrian territory," state-run Sana news said, referring to the alternate name of ISIL.
The Turkish military said in a statement that there had been no clashes during the operation, the first such ground incursion by Turkish troops into Syria, but that one soldier had been killed in an accident.
"Unfortunately we had one casualty and this was not as a result of a clash but due to an accident that happened at the beginning of the operation," Davutoglu said at a news conference in Ankara on Sunday.
The soldiers brought the remains of Suleyman Shah and some relics back to Turkey.
The new planned site for the tomb, which is closer to the border, is under control of Turkish army. The replacement of the tomb will take place later, Davutoglu said.
"These relics will temporarily be preserved in Turkey for the next couple of days and God willing, will be sent to Eshme, the area of the new tomb secured by our soldiers, as is our right by international law," the prime minister said.
Unilateral action
Davutoglu said the Turkish soldiers were not supported by local Kurdish fighters in the operation.
"The decision was solely taken in Ankara, within the framework of international law, without asking any permission or help from any party. The Turkish military would overcome any obstacle, whoever comes their way, risking clashes."
The Turkish government said late last year that Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters were advancing on the mausoleum, which is guarded by several dozen Turkish soldiers.
At a news conference in Ankara on Saturday, Davutoglu said the incursion into Syria involved 100 military vehicles including 39 tanks.
The tanks and armoured vehicles, supported by drones, rolled into Syria near the border town of Kobane and left Syria via the same route early on Sunday, witnesses told Al Jazeera.
The Suleyman Shah tomb was made Turkish territory under a treaty signed with France in 1921, when France ruled Syria and the government had repeatedly vowed to defend it from any attack by the Syrian rebels............................http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/02/syria-turkish-incursion-flagrant-aggression-150222113426208.html
22/2/15
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Syria said Sunday that an overnight incursion by Turkish troops to evacuate an historic tomb and the soldiers guarding it was a "flagrant aggression", state news agency SANA said...
ReplyDelete"Turkey is not satisfied with merely giving all kinds of support to its puppets Daesh (the Islamic State group), (Al-Qaeda affiliate) the Al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups," said a foreign ministry statement carried by the official SANA news agency.
"It even carried out... a flagrant aggression against Syrian territory."
AFP
Syria's Foreign Ministry slammed on Sunday Turkey's military operation in Syria, calling it a "flagrant aggression," according to the state news agency SANA...
ReplyDeleteThe ministry's remarks came after Turkish troops entered into a northern Syrian area overnight to extract some 40 Turkish soldiers who had been guarding the Tomb of Suleyman Shah, which was located in the city of Aleppo in Syria near the Turkish border.
Suleyman Shah was the grandfather of Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire. The tomb was built at the end of the 13th century.
The ministry said the Turkish authorities had informed the Syrian consulate in Ankara about the operation, but didn't wait for the Syrian government's authorization..................http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/908478.shtml
22/2/15
Syrian FM: Turkey’s Incursion into Syria Proves Links with ISIL...
ReplyDeleteSyrian Foreign Ministry slammed on Sunday the "flagrant aggression" of the Turkish operation in Raqqa province, state-run SANA news agency reported.
It is a "suspicious" act that reveals the Turkish government’s close connection with terrorist organizations operating in the area, a Foreign Ministry official said.....................http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=196898&cid=23&fromval=1
22/2/15
Syria tomb operation: A change in Turkey's policy?...
ReplyDeleteAbout 600 Turkish troops crossed into Syria to save tomb of grandfather of Ottoman empire's founder without permission.
The Turkish government said it did not seek the permission of anyone but had informed the coalition fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.
What is the significance of this operation? Could it signal similiar operations in future?.................http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2015/02/syria-tomb-operation-change-turkey-policy-150222201539312.html
Turkey building new tomb of Suleyman Shah inside Syria....New location for historical figure's remains, evacuated in a military operation, is 200 metres from Turkey's border...
ReplyDeleteTurkey has started building a new tomb of Suleyman Shah after the successful evacuation of the historical Turkish figure's remains from 37km inside Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials announced the new location of the tomb, around 200 metres away from the Turkish border, in a statement on Sunday...................http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/02/turkey-building-tomb-suleyman-shah-syria-150223074114745.html