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Turkey in the Syrian Crisis: What Next?

Turkey in the Syrian Crisis: What Next?

by Veli Sirin
October 26, 2012 at 3:15 am

But Erdogan is, to many, no more than an impotent, tantrum-prone, and dangerous demagogue – which the Obama administration and other “concerned powers” will not admit. Presumptions that he can act consequently to rescue the Syrian people are mistaken.

Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad treats Turkish military reprisals as pin-pricks. Nonetheless, while massacres continue inside Syria, confrontations and counterblows proliferate along the country’s border with Turkey, including exchanges of mortar-shell fire. But how long will this stalemate continue?

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his public comments, is addicted to candor, if not bluster. He condemns the weakness of the United Nations in the face of the Syrian bloodletting, yet is even more dismayed, it seems, to realize that Turkey cannot wage war on the Al-Assad regime. Turkey cannot save Syria; it cannot march to Damascus; it cannot remove the Al-Assad state apparatus, and it cannot reconstruct Syria as a Turkish protectorate.

The Syrian Army is a significant military force, and would respond with a wholesale offensive, devastating poor Turkish villages. The Syrian war is spreading into Lebanon; its extension northward could produce a general conflagration in the area.

For these reasons, and not out of sympathy for the Syrian tyrant, the overwhelming majority of Turks oppose a military campaign against Damascus. The Turkish political opposition calls on Erdogan to renounce his bellicose rhetoric. Turkey will, it is hoped, avoid a war with Syria, even as Erdogan postures as a great military figure and proposes a “vision” for resolution of the crisis.

Erdogan tours the Middle East and in many places is applauded. This, of course, increases his popularity at home. Arab sympathy for Erdogan most likely reflects his adoption of an anti-Israeli stance. He has also called for Islamic unity. “Brotherhood” and “community” are the pillars on which Erdogan has constructed his project for a Muslim-dominated Mediterranean.

Turkish “neo-Ottomanism,” combining Islamist supremacy with patriotic fervor, is not limited to Ankara’s initiatives in foreign policy. Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, has made Ottoman nostalgia a central feature of Turkish cultural life.

Examples of this attitude are plentiful. With an AKP municipal government, Istanbul every year now celebrates May 29, commemorating the conquest of the city by Sultan Mehmed II in 1453. In 2010, Istanbul considered itself the “European Capital of Culture,” and the budget for the program emphasized renovation of Ottoman architectural sites. Istanbul no longer projects itself only as a bridge between east and west, but as the center of Ottoman civilization. None of these developments is reassuring.

NATO, in an urgent meeting on the Syrian disaster in June, declared clear support for Turkey. The hurriedly-assembled NATO ambassadors described Syrian attacks on the Turkish frontier as a breach of international law and a menace to regional security. But NATO concluded diffidently, “As indicated on June 26, the alliance is monitoring closely the Syrian situation.”

The U.S. promised to support Turkey. Tommy Vietor, National Security Council spokesperson, said late last year, “We continue to call on other governments to join the chorus of condemnation and pressure against the Assad regime so that the peaceful and democratic aspirations of the Syrian people can be realized. President Obama has coordinated closely with Prime Minister Erdogan throughout the crisis in Syria and will continue to do so going forward.” The U.S. appealed to Al-Assad to step down from power, agree to an armistice in the fighting, and initiate a political transition.

After Turkey forced a Syrian passenger aircraft to land in Ankara on October 10, German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle visited his Turkish counterpart, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in Istanbul. Westerwelle placed his country unambiguously on the side of Turkey. The German representative declared, “Under international law, Turkey must not tolerate transport through their airspace of weapons or military supplies to Syria.” In a similar case, with a violation of German airspace, said his government would have done the same thing. “Turkey is our partner,” Westerwelle added, “and they can count on our solidarity.”

The German foreign minister, however, distanced Germany from Erdogan’s harsh criticism of the UN Security Council, which Erdogan has said should be reformed, as at present two permanent members, Russia and China, possess veto power over any action on Syria.

Erdogan repeats to the world that a humanitarian disaster is taking place in Syria. “If we wait for one or two of the [UN Security Council’s] permanent members… then the future of Syria will be in danger,” he insists. But his opinion is not supported by most of the rest of the world. Erdogan, in an October 13 speech in Istanbul, invoked the Balkan tragedy that occurred two decades ago. “How sad is,” he said, “that the UN is as helpless today as it was 20 years ago, when it watched the massacre of hundreds of thousands of people in the Balkans.”

No one can predict where all this oratory will end up. It is only certain that there are victims on both sides of the Turkish-Syrian border, and in the conflict inside Syria. Since the beginning of October, the Turkish army has directed fire at 87 locations inside Syria, and has killed at least 12 Syrian soldiers, according to a report based on Turkish military sources, and published in the Turkish daily Milliyet on October 20. The paper stated that Syria had launched mortar rounds or other shells across the border 27 times, and that in the Turkish response, five Syrian tanks, three armored vehicles, one mortar, one ammunition transporter and two anti-aircraft guns were destroyed, with many more military vehicles damaged.

The Europeans tend to their own affairs, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council negotiate among themselves, Turkey claims it is considering unilateral action against Syria. But Erdogan is, to many, no more than an impotent, tantrum-prone, and dangerous demagogue – which the Obama administration and other “concerned powers” will not publicly admit. Some say that notwithstanding a possible Erdogan strategy for the establishment of Syria as a Sunni Islamist ally – or vassal – of an AKP-led Turkey, he and his party are needed for any positive action by NATO against Al-Assad. But presumptions that he can act consequently to rescue the Syrian people are mistaken. And the rest of us can only wait and hope for the best.

October 27, 2012
Turkey’s ‘inkblot’ test

Turkey’s ‘inkblot’ test

By Soner Cagaptay, Special to CNN

Editor’s note: Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a GPS contributor. You can find his other posts here. The views expressed are solely those of the author.

Ankara is struggling to accommodate the tide of Syrian refugees looking to enter Turkey. As of this month, there were more than 100,000 Syrian refugees in the country, a number that Turkey has already declared as the “psychological limit” in terms of the number it can host. Ankara can also be expected to try to accommodate many refugees on the Syrian side of the border. Indeed, without apparent interference from the Syrian government, temporary zones are already forming like inkblots across the national boundary from Turkey into Syria. But can Turkey cope?

The refugee influx poses potential security concerns for Turkey, not least because of the potential for armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) members in Syria to use this as an opportunity to cross into Turkey. As a result, Ankara has already temporarily closed some of its border crossings and increased security controls for refugees fleeing across the border. This has translated to increased waiting times for entry, which has in turn only added to the back-log of refugees on the Syrian side of the border.

As the Sunni Arab exodus from Syria continues, areas with favorable geography and nearby border crossings have been confronted with the greatest numbers of refugees, leading to the formation of what could be described as “inkblot” zones, where refugees on both sides of the border live under Turkish care. The Syrian government has all but abandoned such areas.

Since August, Turkey’s official humanitarian relief agency, the Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD), has been dispensing aid at key crossings, including to camps inside Syria. Meanwhile, signaling a defensive posture over the “inkblots,” Turkish military forces equipped with anti-aircraft installations have been positioned within range of the camps. According to some reports, helicopters used by forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad have periodically been chased from these areas by Turkish fighter jets.

But as they grow in size and number, these “inkblots” will further erode the integrity of the Turkish-Syrian border, a border that seems to be merging into the terrain itself, especially in areas where large Sunni Arab communities live on both sides of the border crossings.

These areas also have the potential to place genuine strains on ties between Ankara and Washington. After all, there are already policy differences between the two countries on Syria: Ankara appears to want to move fast and potentially with force vis-à-vis Damascus, whereas Washington is exercising caution. So far, Turkey has managed the relationship well, publicly at least. But last month, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan chided U.S. President Barack Obama for “lacking initiative” on Syria.

An expansion in the number of “inkblots” could put pressure on Ankara to press publicly for U.S. assistance against the al-Assad regime, including asking for U.S. backing to convert the refugee settlements into internationally sanctioned safe havens.

Ultimately, these settlements might best be seen as something of a Rorschach test of U.S.-Turkish, with Ankara viewing them as the stepping stone to the next stage of the push against al-Assad, and Washington seeing them as merely a temporary fix in the ongoing Syria crisis.

via Turkey’s ‘inkblot’ test – Global Public Square – CNN.com Blogs.

October 25, 2012
Turkey warns Syria future attacks ‘will be silenced’
From Gul Tuysuz, CNN

October 8, 2012 — Updated 0033 GMT (0833 HKT)
Syrian rebels take up positions inside a building during clashes with government forces in Aleppo on Saturday, October 6. See more of CNN’s best photography.

NEW: Syria’s defense minister says forces are more resolved than ever to restore peace

NEW: At least 110 are dead from fighting inside Syria, says an opposition group

NEW: U.S. defense secretary expresses concern that the conflict could broaden

A third shell falls in Turkish territory, a semi-official news service says
(CNN) — Residents of a Turkish border town hid inside their homes Saturday after three Syrian shells landed inside Turkey in separate incidents amid fierce fighting in Syria.

The shelling prompted Turkish forces to return fire as clashes between the two neighbors entered a fourth day, according to government and semi-official media reports.

As Turkish forces deployed along the border, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned that “any future attack on Turkey from anywhere will be silenced,” according to the semi-official Anadolu Agency news service.

The Syrian shells hit outside two villages in Hatay province, the provincial government said in statements.

Where the border clashes took place

One shell landed about 50 meters (164 feet) into Turkey. In the second incident, a shell landed about 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) into Turkey, between a Turkish village and a border post, the provincial government said.

Rebels attack army barracks in Damascus

Turkey-Syria ties strained by violence

Turkish shells rain on Syria

In both cases, authorities believe Syrian troops were firing on rebel forces stationed near the border.

The Anadolu Agency news service said three shells had been fired Saturday into Turkish territory.

Turkish border troops retaliated, firing twice into Syrian territory, the Hatay government said.

Who is arming the Syrian conflict?

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta expressed concern about the cross-border activity.

“The fact is, there is a war going on in Syria between the opposition and the regime forces, and it’s one that has cost a large number of lives,” he told reporters in Lima, Peru. “Whether or not that conflict begins to extend into the neighboring countries such as Turkey remains to be seen, but obviously the fact that there are now exchanges of fire between these two countries raises additional concerns that this conflict could broaden.”

The shelling comes amid fighting between rebel and regime forces over the nearby Syrian border village of Khirbet al-Jouz. Rebel forces captured the village Saturday after seven hours of fighting, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

At least 40 Syrian soldiers and nine rebels were killed in clashes in Khirbet al-Jouz and in the Jisr al-Shughur countryside, in Idlib province, the group said.

Residents across the border in Turkey could see and hear gunfire from the fighting, and government officials took to village loudspeakers to warn residents not to go outside.

“How can we not be afraid? Listen you can hear the gun-fighting,” said resident Hamza Tuncer.

Tuncer said he helped carry the bodies of two dead fighters into the village.

One was a fighter who suffered a foot wound but decided to return to the battle, Tuncer said.

“That’s when he got shot in the head,” he said.

In addition to the shelling, fires from forests burned in the conflict have spread to the Turkish side of the border, leaving the air filled with smoke, resident Turhan Tomak said.

“We have no forest left. It hurts my insides. All our forests are gone,” Tomak said.

The back-and-forth shelling between Syrian and Turkish forces began Wednesday when a shell fired from Syria hit the Turkish town of Akcakale, killing five civilians and injuring nine others.

Children in a war-torn Syria town hold school in a cave

Davutoglu said he was certain the shells that hit Turkey on Saturday came from the Syrian army because it is a type used only by that country’s forces.

His warning against Syria comes amid a buildup of forces along the Syrian border. Armored units have deployed to several areas along the border, the Anadolu Agency reported.

The Turkish parliament has approved a resolution allowing military forces to deploy abroad, but government officials have said they do not want war with Syria, once a close ally.

But Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Syria not to escalate tensions.

U.N. still has no plan for Syria

“It would be a deadly mistake to test Turkey’s deterrence, determination and capacity,” he said.

The U.N. Security Council condemned the shelling and appealed for restraint from both countries.

Before Saturday’s incidents, Syria’s U.N. Ambassador, Bashar Ja’afari, said his country “is not seeking any escalation with any of its neighbors, including Turkey.”

Rebels report a potentially key ‘capture’

In addition to the fighting over Khirbet al-Jouz, government and rebel forces clashed near Damascus, Aleppo and other cities. Heavy fighting was reported in the western province of Homs, where fighting and shelling left 24 people dead, according to activists.

Nationwide, at least 110 people died in fighting Saturday, the opposition Local Coordinating Committees said.

Meanwhile, the al-Farouq brigade, one of the rebel groups operating in Homs, claimed on its Facebook page to have captured 1st Lt. Housam Assad and two of his aides. The military commander of that brigade, Abu Sayeh Jenaidi, appeared on Al Jazeera and said the detainee claims to be a direct relative of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Housam Assad is wounded, but in stable condition, the military commander said.

CNN cannot independently verify the claims by al-Farouq brigade, nor the relationship that Housam Assad may have with the Syrian president.

Syrian defense ministers says security forces are more determined than ever to restore peace

Defense Minister Gen. Fahd Jassem al-Freij spoke Saturday on state TV, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said.

“Our armed forces today are more resolved to restore security and stability to Syria and cut off the hand of whoever tries to harm it and eliminate the remnants of defeated terrorists wherever they are,” SANA reported he said.

Al-Freij was named minister after his predecessor was killed in July.

He noted, also, that “the homeland’s door is still open to all its sons, including those who were misled and want to go back on track under the homeland’s umbrella,” SANA reported.

Saturday marks deadline for Iranian hostages

Iranian officials urged international groups to act to stop the threatened killing of 48 Iranian citizens by Syrian rebels, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.

In a video posted to YouTube, the rebels holding the hostages have threatened to begin killing them Saturday unless the Syrian regime releases rebel detainees and stops what the rebels called the “ongoing random slaughter” of innocent civilians.

The group, the Revolutionary Council of Eastern Ghouta, said one hostage would die for each Syrian killed by government forces.

The hostages were kidnapped in August while on what Iran has described as a religious pilgrimage. The rebels have described the hostages as members of Iran’s military, an assertion Iran has denied.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi talked with Davutoglu by telephone Saturday and urged him to help secure release of the hostages.

The semi-official Mehr News Agency said Salehi also spoke with the prime minister of Qatar in an effort to resolve the situation.

Sources: Pro al Qaeda group steps up suicide bombings in Syria
October 8, 2012
Syrian Rebels Provoking Turk War? Or Is Turkey a Willing Accomplice?

Syrian Rebels Provoking Turk War? Or Is Turkey a Willing Accomplice?

Posted by Daniel McAdams on October 7, 2012 11:32 AM

The situation on the Syria/Turkey border is spiraling out of control, as for five days Turkey has shelled Syria in retaliation for apparent Syrian army shells landing in Turkey. The threat of a wider regional war has never been greater and with Israel chomping at the bit to attack Iran, a limited regional war threatens to become something significantly greater.

The press as usual is spinning propaganda about this dangerous escalation: the madman Assad is so nuts that now he is even attacking Turkey.

Question: Why would the Syrian government, facing an increasingly well-funded and well-trained insurgency where victory is by no means assured, open up a new front against its gigantic NATO-member neighbor to the north?

Question: Why are these “Syrian army” shells landing on Turkish soil coming from parts of Syria that are occupied by the rebels or where the rebels have a heavy presence?

Question: Why is Turkish army shelling having the effect of driving the Syrian army out of border areas and opening the way for the rebels to seize more and more border towns and crossings?

As the Moon of Alabama blog points out, each time an unverified Syrian shell supposedly lands on Turkish soil, Turkish “retaliation” has the effect of delivering that town to the rebels.

This Reuters report points out the pattern yet again:

“Three mortar bombs fired from Syria landed near Guvecci village on Saturday, prompting a fourth day of retaliatory fire from Turkish forces. The Syrian mortar rounds hit empty land and there were no casualties.”

And after the Turkish “retaliation”:

“Syrian rebels…seized a government army outpost near the Turkish border province of Hatay and a rebel flag flew over the building on Sunday, while clashes could be heard in the area of a nearby Syrian village.”

That sounds pretty convenient. A false flag “attack” on Turkey by the rebels certainly fits the pattern thus far.

RT’s Paula Slier’s reports that many are seeing the possibility of a dual provocation: a false flag against a willing accomplice to draw in NATO to finally attack Syria:

“Many critics believe these shells are being fired deliberately. This border area is controlled by rebels and it is possible that they’re firing these rounds to provoke turkey to go to NATO and call for foreign intervention,” Slier said.

This “shelling” then retaliation, then rebel seizure of border areas is having the effect of creating a de facto buffer zone inside of Syria from which the rebels and their US/Saudi/Qatari/Israeli partners can expand the fight further inside Syria. What an amazing coincidence that this “Syrian army” shelling is producing so many rewards and advantages for the rebels and their partners!

via Syrian Rebels Provoking Turk War? Or Is Turkey a Willing Accomplice? « LewRockwell.com Blog.

October 8, 2012
Turkey’s foreign policy takes a dangerous turn

By abandoning its “soft power” strategy and adopting a “military deterrence” policy, Turkey risks war with Syria, deeper tension with Iraq, Iran and Russia.

The escalation of the crisis with Syria has forced Turkey’s Islamic-conservative AKP government to adopt a more aggressive stance on foreign policy and added to the worries of a broader conflict in the region.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Damascus on Friday (05.10.2012) that Ankara would not shy away from war if provocations by Syrian forces continued.

“We are not war-lovers, but we are not far from war either,” Erdogan said. “The saying goes: Prepare for war if you wish for peace.”

Erdogan’s warning came a day after Turkish parliament passed a year-long mandate that approved cross-border military action against Syria, if it’s deemed necessary.

On Wednesday, a Syrian shell killed five civilians in the Turkish border town of Akcakale, creating uproar in Turkey. Since then Turkish military is returning fire for each Syrian shell that has struck Turkish soil. Damascus has claimed the shells that landed in Turkey were accidents during operations against armed opponents, but Ankara has regarded them as deliberate provocations.

Clashes may escalate

Turkey and Syria traded artillery fire for a fourth consecutive day on Saturday. Ankara has continued to deploy more troops to its southern border with Syria on Sunday, raising concerns that the conflict may escalate.

Turkish troops are mobilizing along the Syrian border

Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said on Saturday that parliamentary authorization was designed as a deterrent to further violence.

“We haven’t taken this step with the intention of war,” Davutoglu told Turkey’s TRT television. “But from now on whenever there is an attack on Turkey, it will be silenced.”

Polls showed that majority of Turks are against a war with Syria and many Turkish observers agreed that neither Turkey nor Syria has a desire for a war. But possible attacks along the border remain a growing concern. Ankara has signaled that it may launch a cross-border operation if it also feels threatened by separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its alleged Syrian branch the Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Another worrying development according to observers is Ankara’s major policy change. Turkey’s more aggressive stance against Syria portends deeper tensions with Turkey and Syria’s allies, Iraq, Iran and Russia.

Collapse of “zero problem” policy

Turkey’s warning of war has been the boldest move so far demonstrating a major shift in AKP’s foreign policy, from a “soft power” strategy to one of military deterrence.”

During the past 10 years of the AKP rule, Davutoglu’s strategy of “zero problem with neighbors” shaped Turkey’s new foreign policy. The foreign minister said there was no place for “military threats” in this new foreign policy vision, dialogue and diplomacy will be the main tools and regional cooperation would be the main priority.

Turkey had hoped not to have problems with the neighbors, but it’s proving difficult

Syria had been the cornerstone of Islamic-conservative AKP’s new pro-active foreign policy, which aimed at developing close political, economic and cultural ties with the countries in Turkey’s neighborhood, areas once ruled by the Ottoman Empire.

Davutoglu was criticized by the opponents for “Neo-Ottoman adventures,” but he denounced the criticism. Western pressure did not prevent the AKP government from enhancing close relations with repressive regimes, including those of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran, Muammar Gadhafi in Libya, and Bashar Assad in Syria.

Great ambitions and deep frustrations

The Turkish government’s main priority had been to expand Turkey’s area of influence. Until 2011, Turkey and Syria were close allies. Davutoglu made dozens of visits to Damascus, resisted Western pressure and tried to gain leverage over the Syrian regime.

The AKP’s zero-problem policy was first challenged by the Arab Spring uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East. The Turkish government’s great ambitions to be a regional power and an agenda-setting country in the Middle East faced an even greater challenge in neighboring Syria.

Soon after the uprising began in Syria in March 2011, Turkey first adopted a cautious approach and tried to convince Assad for a controlled change. But Assad’s reluctance for reform and disproportionate use of force against protestors caused deep frustration among Turkish leaders and after August 2011 they adopted a hardliner position against Assad’s rule.

With the fear of losing influence in its immediate neighborhood, Turkish government gave strong support for the Syria opposition and offered logistical support to the armed opposition groups. The question of al Qaeda’s presence among the armed opposition groups, the strength of radical Islamists and jihadists among them continue to be a major concern for Western countries.

Tensions with Iraq and Iran

In its policy to oust Assad, Turkey joined forces with two other Sunni countries: Saudi Arabia and Qatar. This has further undermined Turkey’s close relations with Shiite majority countries, Iran and Iraq’s Maliki-led government, which have been closely allied with Assad.

Conflict with Syria also threatens Turkey’s relations with some of its other neighbors

Two years ago, the Turkish government gained momentum in Tehran and brokered a nuclear deal to offer a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear crisis. But after the Syria crisis, Iran’s military leaders continue to publicly warn Turkey for its Syria policy.

Ankara’s already tense relations with Iraq’s Shiite-led government are expected to further strain this month, as Turkish government is seeking to extend a mandate to send Turkish troops to northern Iraq to fight PKK militants.

From “zero problems” to zero friends

Davutoglu’s controversial policies, which also led to deep tensions with Israel, now face growing criticism, not only from the opposition, but also from intellectuals who had long supported the AKP as a transformative power for Turkey.

One of those liberal intellectuals, international relations professor Ihsan Dagi warned Turkey is making mistakes and risks not only broader conflicts with its neighbors, but also losing all the domestic democratic achievements of the past decade.

“[As Turkey] we have put aside our soft power and attempted to design our neighborhood with our military might,” Dagi wrote in his column at the daily “Zaman.” “We turned away from being an admired country and sought to become a country that is feared by others. We made mistakes, big mistakes.”

Davutoglu and AKP’s “zero problem” policy had challenged traditional, nationalist and isolationist Turkish foreign policy, introduced a new foreign policy activism, but failed to yield concrete and positive results. Today it left Turkey with almost “zero friends” in its immediate neighborhood.

According to Dagi, Turkey will continue to be an emerging power in world politics, but failures of Turkish government in foreign policy are putting Turkey into a difficult position of facing off against unpredictable threats.

“Ironically today, the utopia of the old regime of Turkey has turned into reality,” Dagi said. “Turkey is now surrounded by enemies.”

October 8, 2012
Not far from war, Turkish PM warns

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses the audience after receiving his honorary doctorate degree from Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul on Friday. In a belligerent speech to a crowd in Istanbul, Erdogan warned the Al Assad government it would be making a fatal mistake if it picked a fight with Turkey.

Istanbul/Beirut: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday his country was “not far” from war with Syria following cross-border attacks this week – words which highlighted the danger that the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Al Asaad will drag in its neighbours.

In a belligerent speech to a crowd in Istanbul, Erdogan warned the Al Assad government it would be making a fatal mistake if it picked a fight with Turkey.

The speech followed a Syrian mortar barrage on a town in southeast Turkey that killed five people on Tuesday.

Turkish artillery bombarded Syrian military targets on Wednesday and Thursday in response, killing several Syrian soldiers, and the Turkish parliament has authorised cross-border military action in the event of further aggression.

Article continues below

“We are not interested in war, but we’re not far from it either,” Erdogan said in his speech.

“Those who attempt to test Turkey’s deterrence, its decisiveness, its capacity, I say here they are making a fatal mistake.”

At the United Nations, the Security Council strongly condemned the original Syrian attack and demanded that such violations of international law stop immediately.

The United States has said it stands by its Nato ally’s right to defend itself against aggression spilling over from Syria’s war.

The cross-border violence was the most serious so far in the conflict, now in its 19th month, and underscored how it could flare across the region.

Turkey, once an Al Assad ally and now a leading voice in calls for him to quit, shelters more than 90,000 Syrian refugees in camps on its territory and has allowed rebel army leaders sanctuary.

Violence has also spilled over into Lebanon.

More than 30,000 people have been killed in the revolt against Al Assad, which began with peaceful street protests but is now a full-scale civil war also fought on sectarian lines.

Across the country about 180 people were killed in violence on Thursday, including 48 government soldiers, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The rebels said they had captured an air defence base with a cache of missiles outside Damascus on Thursday, a boost to their campaign after a series of setbacks in the capital.

Video posted on YouTube of the aftermath of the assault showed dozens of rebels dressed in army fatigues celebrating as black smoke rose from a military installation behind them.

via Not far from war, Turkish PM warns | GulfNews.com.

October 6, 2012