Tag: syria conflict

Turkish soldiers inside Syria abducted by Islamist rebels, news reports say

Turkish soldiers inside Syria abducted by Islamist rebels, news reports say

BY ROY GUTMAN

McClatchy Foreign Staff

ISTANBUL — Turkish troops conducting a resupply mission to a small Turkish military post inside Syrian territory were ambushed and detained Wednesday by Islamic extremists affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, according to Turkish media reports.

The troops were later returned to Turkey, news outlets in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa said. But it wasn’t clear what happened to the four armored personnel carriers they’d been traveling in. One report said ISIS had kept the vehicles, which had been seen flying ISIS flags.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday confirmed that a convoy had been sent to the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire. The tomb lies about 15 miles inside Syria, but Turkey claims sovereignty over the area under a 1921 territory. Erdogan said the convoy had been sent to deliver supplies to the Turkish military contingent assigned to guard the tomb.

He did not, however, mention the ISIS ambush or the abduction of the Turkish troops, an incident that could put Turkey’s military, widely regarded as the region’s best equipped, on a collision course with ISIS, whose militants are fighting both Syrian government forces and other anti-government rebel groups for control of eastern Syria.

“Right now, the issue is not about ISIS,” he told reporters in Ankara. “The job of our convoy is to transfer aid to the Suleyman Shah tomb.”

The Turkish military said the dispatch of the convoy was a planned activity, and nothing out of the ordinary.

Local news reports said the vehicles crossed into Syria from the Sursitpinar border gate and were ambushed near the town of Manbij. The troops – the exact number was not reported — were then taken to Manbij and later repatriated to Turkey, Sanliurfa.com reported, citing local Syrian sources and another unnamed source.

The news portal, without naming its source, said that the vehicles, after their capture, were being driven about with ISIS flags on them.

In mid-March, ISIS demanded that Turkey abandon its military outpost at the tomb and threatened to attack and destroy it. This apparently gave rise to a secret conversation among top Turkish officials about whether Turkey should seize the opportunity to take on ISIS, an Iraq-based offshoot of al Qaida that is also fighting the Iraqi government for control of western Iraq and is considered a serious menace to regional stability. Al Qaida leaders denounced the group earlier this year for disobeying orders to withdraw from Syria, where another rebel group, the Nusra Front, is al Qaida’s recognized affiliate.

A recording of the secret conversation about a possible incursion into Syria was posted on YouTube and proved deeply embarrassing to the Erdogan government, which launched a major investigation to find the source of the security breach. The government also blocked access to YouTube and Twitter in an effort to halt dissemination of the recording.

According to news accounts, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu can be heard on the recording saying that “without a strong pretext,” Turkey would not receive support for an intervention into Syria from the United States or other allies. The chief of Turkish intelligence, Hakan Fidan, reportedly responded that “if needed, I would dispatch four men to Syria” and “have them fire eight mortar shells at the Turkish side and create an excuse for war.” He added: “We can also have them attack the tomb of Suleyman Shah as well.”

If the government was seriously considering doing anything at the time, it was put on hold following the publication of the discussion.

Based on the scanty details available Wednesday, it wasn’t possible to determine whether the resupply convoy was a genuinely routine operation or a probe to test ISIS’s intentions.

via ISTANBUL: Turkish soldiers inside Syria abducted by Islamist rebels, news reports say | World | The Sun Herald.

April 25, 2014
For third day in row, Syrian jets bomb near Turkey

Syrian Air Force bombers leave behind billowlng smoke in the Syrian town of Ras al-Ayn, as seen from the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar, Tuesday

THE NEW YORK TIMES

PARIS — Syrian authorities ordered airstrikes for a third consecutive day close to the tense Turkish border today, and said a French decision to recognize and consider arming a newly formed Syrian rebel coalition was an “immoral” act “encouraging the destruction of Syria.”

The French move was depicted by analysts as an attempt to inject momentum into a broad Western and Arab effort to build a viable and effective opposition to hasten the end of a stalemated civil war which has further destabilized the Middle East.

For its part, the United States today signaled a reluctance to go beyond its characterization of the rebel alliance as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people, rather than as their sole representative.

Speaking in Perth, Australia, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Washington first wanted to see the coalition influencing events on the ground.

“As the Syrian opposition takes these steps and demonstrates its effectiveness in advancing the cause of a unified, democratic, pluralistic Syria, we will be prepared to work with them to deliver assistance to the Syrian people,” news reports quoted her saying.

At the same time, she announced $30 million in American humanitarian aid to feed people affected by the civil war, bringing the total American assistance to almost $200 million.

The airstrikes today underscored the urgency of the diplomatic maneuvers. Journalists along the 550-mile border between Turkey and Syria near the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar said they witnessed a Syrian airstrike in the adjacent Syrian town of Ras al-Ain, where rebels say they have ousted troops loyal to Mr. Assad. It was the third such strike there in as many days.

In response, Reuters reported, Turkey scrambled fighter jets to its southeastern border with Syria, recalling Turkey’s insistence that it will not refrain from a tougher reaction against Syria.

The official SANA news agency in Syria made no direct reference to the Western moves. But the deputy foreign minister, Faisal Muqdad, told the Agence France-Presse news agency that the establishment of the opposition coalition in Doha, Qatar, was a “ declaration of war.” “We read the Doha document and they reject any dialogue with the government.”

Referring to the French recognition of the alliance, he said: “Allow me to use the word, this is an immoral position. They are supporting killers, terrorists and they are encouraging the destruction of Syria.”The announcement by President François Hollande on Tuesday made France the first Western country to fully embrace the new coalition, which came together this past weekend under Western pressure after days of difficult negotiations in Doha, Qatar.

The six Arab countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, including key opposition supporters Qatar and Saudi Arabia, recognized the rebel coalition on Monday as the legitimate Syrian government. Political analysts called Mr. Hollande’s announcement an important moment in the Syrian conflict, which began as a peaceful Arab Spring uprising in March 2011. It was harshly suppressed by Mr. Assad, turned into a civil war and has left nearly 40,000 Syrians dead, displaced about 2.5 million and forced more than 400,000 to flee to neighboring countries, according to international relief agencies.

“It’s certainly another page of the story,” Augustus Richard Norton, a professor of international relations at Boston University and an expert on Middle East political history, said of the French announcement. “I think it’s important. But it will be much more important if other countries follow suit. I don’t think we’re quite there yet.”

Andrew J. Tabler, a Syria expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that the new coalition would have to create a secure zone in Syria to be successful, and that such a step would require support from the United States, which was instrumental in the negotiations that led to the group’s creation but has not yet committed to giving it full recognition.

What the French have done, Mr. Tabler said, is significant because they have started the process of broader recognition, putting pressure on the group to succeed. “They’ve decided to back this umbrella organization and hope that it has some kind of political legitimacy and keep it from going to extremists,” he said. “It’s a gamble. The gamble is that it will stiffen the backs of the opposition.”

France’s statement also was a clear reflection of frustration with the growing death toll and military stalemate in Syria. It came a week after the re-election of President Obama, who had clearly been unwilling to consider any military policy that could hurt his prospects.

Mr. Hollande’s announcement came as the rebel coalition’s newly chosen leader, Sheik Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, a former imam of the historic Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and a respected figure in Syria, made a broad appeal to Western and Arab countries for recognition and military aid. Foreign ministers of the Arab League, while approving the new group as the “legitimate representative of the Syrian opposition,” have not agreed on recognizing it as a provisional government to replace Mr. Assad.

France, the former colonial power in Syria, has been pressing for a more committed international effort to help the anti-Assad movement.

via For third day in row, Syrian jets bomb near Turkey – Worcester Telegram & Gazette – telegram.com.

November 15, 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
Syria’s Bashar Assad Finds Solid Support Among Alawites in Turkey

The Alawite Towns That Support Syria’s Assad — in Turkey

Even as the regime’s Alawite support erodes, the President of Syria finds vocal support among his co-religionists in Turkey

By Steven Sotloff / Antakya, Turkey | September 10, 2012 | 2

An Assad carpet for sale in Harbiyya, on Sept. 6, 2012.

Steven Sotloff

A Bashar Assad carpet for sale in Harbiyya, Turkey, on Sept. 6, 2012

While the Alawites of Syria may not be monolithic in their support of their fellow Alawite President Bashar Assad, the dictator can find near unanimous backing among members of the sect across the border in a region that is part of Turkey. In 1939, Syria’s colonial master, France, ceded the Syrian province of Alexandretta and its population of over 120,000 — most of whom were Alawites, also known as Alawis — to Turkey. Known today as Hatay, the region’s inhabitants are equally divided between Alawites and orthodox Sunnis, along with a small number of Christians. For decades, an uneasy truce reigned between the sects. But since the outbreak of the revolution in 2011, the Turkish Alawites, who number around 500,000, have increasingly taken to the streets to express their support for the Assad regime.

In a carpet shop in the village of Harbiyya in Hatay, the rugs portray familiar personages: Turkey’s first leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, with his penetrating eyes, next to the flowing curls of Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law who is venerated by Shi‘ite Muslims, including the Alawites. But one carpet stands out among the lot — that of Syrian President Assad. In this Alawite village within Turkey, the beleaguered leader who has been labeled a war criminal by the West is more popular than Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

(PHOTOS: Syrians Flee into Turkey)

The Alawite communities in Turkey and Syria have been torn by the latter’s 18-month civil war. Sect members in Turkey have thrown their weight behind the Syrian regime even as Prime Minister Erdogan has denounced Assad’s “attempted genocide” of defenseless civilians. Harbiyya residents have no qualms about their support for Assad. “In Syria, there is democracy,” explains restaurateur Riyad Aslan Yurek. “There is a freedom there that is absent in other Arab countries.” For Yurek, the allure of Syria lies in its secularism. He contrasts the liberties there with the austere Islam that reigns in Saudi Arabia, where he labored for five years. “After Friday prayers, the Saudis would execute drug dealers and amputate the hands of thieves,” he recounts. “This extremism does not exist in Syria.”

Alawite activists are vocal in their support of Assad in Hatay’s capital. Every day in the city of Antakya, a group of students in their 20s collect signatures at a table located in the downtown pedestrian mall, calling for an end to the Syrian conflict. The men take turns shouting out slogans such as “We don’t want America’s imperial war!” and “No to the shedding of blood in Syria!” Some passersby ignore the loud cries, while others are curiously intrigued by the petition drive. When an American journalist stops to ask about the group’s activities, though, a burly man in his 30s hisses him away, shouting, “America is funding terrorists in Syria!”

Later, one of the volunteers, Ilena Coksoyler, explains the group’s frustrations. “We watch television at night and see the [rebel] terrorists hanging Alawi soldiers and yelling, ‘God is Great!’” the 25-year-old education student notes. “We are afraid for the Alawis in Syria and afraid that the foreign terrorists will try to do the same here in Turkey.”

(MORE: Eyewitness from Homs: An Alawite Refugee Warns of Sectarian War in Syria)

Foreign fighters from countries like Libya and Saudi Arabia have indeed been spotted in the city. But last week the Turkish daily Today’s Zaman revealed that a local organization is trying to recruit Turkish Alawites to fight on the side of the Syrian regime. Alawites in Turkey deny that any such mobilization has taken place, but they sympathize with the need to protect their brethren in Syria.

Many in this city claim that the foreign fighters trickling into Syria are injecting fanatic ideas into Syrian society. “Bashar is fighting al-Qaeda, who want to create an Islamic emirate in Syria,” explains Nizam Ozar. “He is killing terrorists who are threatening the security of the state.” It is a refrain heard throughout the small tourist village dotted with hotels that welcome foreigners who go there to see the waterfalls. Residents assert that the Saudi Arabian and Qatari funds fueling the rebellion are being doled out to radicals who want to destroy the secular state the Assad family cultivated over 40 years.

“The Syrians are using the refugee camps [in Turkey, which house Syrians fleeing the conflict] to set up training bases,” explains Ozar, before excusing himself to welcome some tourists to his trinket shop. “At night the fighters sneak into Syria and kill the soldiers,” he comments when he returns. “Turkey allows this and this makes us angry.”

MORE: Syrian Refugees in Turkey: Song of the One-Legged Revolutionary

Related Topics:

via Syria’s Bashar Assad Finds Solid Support Among Alawites in Turkey | World | TIME.com.

September 16, 2012