Alwaght-An official source at the Syrian Foreign Ministry described the military operation implemented by Turkey today, February 22, as an audacious attack on Syria.
The source said, “Turkey does not only provide ISIS, Al-Nusra and other terrorists with all tools of support, it has also audaciously attacked the Syrian lands.” He revealed that Turkey informed the Syrian Consulate in Istanbul, but it did not wait for the approval of the Syrian side.
The Syrian source added, “ISIS did not attack the tomb of Suleyman Shah, this confirms the deep relation between the Turkish government and this terrorist group.”
The Syrian vice Foreign Minister, Faisal Al-Miqdad, said in a statement to AL-Mayadeen, “The new Turkish attack expresses the Turkish gamboling on the expense of the Syrian territory and the relations between the two countries,” and he considered that “The friendly relation between Erdogan’s administration and ISIS was what encouraged the Turkish government to do this aggression.
Al-Moqdad stressed that “Syria has the right to defend its territory, and the aggression will be dealt with as required at appropriate timing,” and he added, “We will report the Turkish aggression and its relation with ISIS to the European Union and the International Community.”
In March, Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish Foreign Minister at the time, said, “Turkey would take any necessary measure to safeguard the security of the tomb, referred to as Turkish soil based on an accord signed between Turkey and France in 1921.” “Should there be an attack, either from the regime, or radical groups or elsewhere, it would be countered equally,” he said. His statement was soon followed by replacement of the Turkish troops guarding the tomb. In 2012, Turkey “revised its military engagement rules and licensed the army to launch cross-border operations as deemed necessary.”
Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish Foreign Minister, denied the claims that say that a Turkish troop guarding the tomb were taken hostages by ISIS, the semiofficial Anadolu News Agency reported.
Ahmet Davutoglu, the present Turkish Prime Minister, announced that his country executed a wide military operation, Saturday night, and has succeeded in evacuating 40 soldiers - including 20 elite troops from the Turkish special forces- guarding the Tomb of Suleyman Shah, according to France Press. The operation is called “Sah Firat” and it was launched on Saturday and continued throughout Sunday.
The Turkish Prime Minister revealed in a press conference at the army headquarters that, “The operation was launched at 21:00 (19:00 GMT), where 572 soldiers crossed the Murchid benar Border,” the country’s southeast. He added that about 40 tanks entered the Syrian territory, accompanied by dozens of other armored vehicles in the process.
Davutoglu added that this military operation was decided due to the deteriorating situation around the Turkish enclave, which covers an area of a few hundred square meters. It also houses the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the father of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman the First.
Davutoglu said that, “the remaining of the Turkish figure has returned temporarily to Turkey to be buried later in Syria.” He explained that the safety of a Syrian area was ensured in order to transfer the remains of Suleyman Shah in the upcoming days.
He expressed his satisfaction with “the proper functioning” of the military operation that was “filled with huge risks”; and took place at a depth of 30 kilometers inside the Syrian territories.
On the other hand, the Turkish Army announced the death of a Turkish soldier by accident during the Turkish incursion.
The BBC reported on its website that “the Turkish military convoy with tanks marched toward the shrine, located in a small enclave subjected to the Turkish rule in Syria, through the town of Ain Arab (Koubani) which the Kurdish fighters have successfully regained control over previously from ISIS.”
The Turkish Continuous News Network (CNN-Turk) reported that the “Turkish military move came in coordination with the Kurds who are engaging in fierce battles against ISIS militants.” It elaborated, “The Turkish military convoy was larger and more heavily armored than usual due to the battles in the region.”
Dima Nassif, AL-Mayadeen reporter, said that the tomb’s place is located within a territory controlled by ISIS for the past year and a half. She added, “The tomb did not suffer any damage by ISIS all this time.”
The reporter declared that entry of such a large number of Turkish military units into the Syrian territories violates the convention, which states that allows the presence of only 20 members to protect the tomb. This implies that what happened is a clear intervention by Turkey in the ongoing crisis, which raises many questions.
