Tag: Turkish-syrian border

Turkish Tanks Conduct Maneuver along Syrian Border

Over two dozen Turkish tanks conducted a maneuver along the Syrian border as Turkish army continued its military buildup in the region.

Over two dozen Turkish tanks conducted a maneuver along the Syrian border on Wednesday as Turkish army continued its military buildup in the region.

A local governor said the maneuver near Nusaybin town of the southeastern province of Mardin was a routine exercise which “tested tactical capabilities of the tanks.”

The governor said the maneuver would last a few more days.

AA

August 2, 2012
Border clashes raises fears that Turkey may call Nato into conflict

ISTANBUL // Syrian troops and rebel soldiers have again clashed close to the Turkish border, near where two deaths in a cross-border shooting incident last month prompted Turkish threats to draw Nato into the conflict.

“Fourteen soldiers and several officers deserted from the Syrian army and were attacked by government troops,” Omar Shawaf, a member of the opposition Syrian National Council, said yesterday.

“There was a small battle, and in the end the soldiers fled into Turkey,” he said.

A Turkish diplomat said: “Our border posts heard shooting and signs of fighting on the other side of the border.”

Besir Atalay, a Turkish deputy prime minister who visited the area yesterday, denied reports that bullets fired during the incident late on Monday at Oncupinar in the south-eastern province of Kilis landed on the Turkish side of the border. “Yesterday’s clash was not a thing that was directed to where we are,” he said.

“According to our intelligence, there was a lot of action along the border and inside Syria throughout the night. Unfortunately, incidents have been on the rise for two days. In the past two nights, action and the sound of weapons have been on the rise again.

“It is a country living through continued pressure and cruelty. Many people are dying.”

Mr Atalay said security measures to protect half a dozen refugee camps for Syrians in Turkey, two of which are only a few hundred metres from the border, would be increased if necessary but there was no danger now.

His commnents came on the same day that the United Nations peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said Syrian security forces had kept heavy weapons in cities, and both government and opposition had committed violations of a UN-brokered ceasefire.

Mr Ladsous also said UN members had offered only 150 monitors for the 300 force it said it would provide and that Syria has already refused visas for three proposed monitors.

Mr Shawaf of the SNC denied reports that the fighting on Monday started because of an attempt by rebel soldiers to take control of a nearby border gate on the Syrian side. “They have only light weapons,” he said. “It would not be easy to take over a border post without more support.”

On April 9, Syrian troops opened fire on civilians fleeing towards the camp in Oncupinar, wounding several Syrians, two of whom later died of their injuries. Turkish officials accused the Syrian side of a deliberate attempt to shoot unarmed refugees.

“It was not just one guy shooting. They had a machine gun,” one official said.

The Turkish government informed Nato about the shooting, raising the possibility that the defence alliance, of which Turkey has been a member since 1952, would be asked to help.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, said last week that warning was still valid. “If border violations continue in a way that disturbs us, we, as a member of Nato, will take the necessary steps,” he said.

Mr Erdogan supports the peace plan of the UN-Arab League negotiator Kofi Annan, but says the regime in Damascus is continuing the violence. The prime minister said the number of UN ceasefire observers in Syria should be greatly increased to up to 3,000.

Mr Atalay also raised doubts about Mr Annan’s six-point plan. “Not even Annan and the United Nations themselves are very optimistic,” he said yesterday. “Maybe the fate of the Annan plan will make sure that the next plan is more realistic.”

On Monday, Turkey’s political and military leaders reviewed the situation in Syria. where repression of protesters by the regime of Bashar Al Assad has resulted in more than 9,000 deaths since March last year.

“All dimensions of the situation of Syrian nationals fleeing to our country and the latest developments on our border with Syria were discussed,” the National Security Council in Ankara said after the meeting.

It also called for an end to the violence in Syria and for “the start of a democratic transition period according to the legitimate demands of the people”.

In fighting yesterday, Syrian forces fired mortar shells at a farming village in the country’s north, killing at least seven people.

via Border clashes raises fears that Turkey may call Nato into conflict – The National.

May 2, 2012
Syrian Army Visible from Turkey; Extra Buses Sent for Fleeing Syrians

(GUVECCI, Turkey) — Along the Turkey-Syria border last week there were reports that the Syrian army was just a few kilometers away. Border towns were emptied, thousands fled in fear. On Thursday, those Syrian forces finally came into view in the hills across from Guvecci, Turkey, reportedly storming the Syrian border town of Khirbet al-Jouz.

A Syrian flag was raised over a watchtower where a Turkish flag had been flown by the refugees — soldiers and armored personnel carriers were visible. Snipers were reportedly on rooftops.

So what does this mean for the thousands still camped out inside Syria?

AFP reports several hundred broke through a fence to get into Turkey.

A spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees tells ABC News that the Red Crescent believes at least 600 came across into camps Thursday. A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman says they have sent more buses over than usual to pick up displaced Syrians but won’t know the final count until Friday.

There were 10,224 refugees in Turkish camps Thursday morning — a number that’s been slowly decreasing in the last few days as Syrians try to head home.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

via Syrian Army Visible from Turkey; Extra Buses Sent for Fleeing Syrians – World News – ABC News Radio.

June 24, 2011
Syria conflict Turkey: Syrian troops said to mass on northwest border with Turkey

Pro-democracy activists say Syrian troops and tanks have rolled into areas near the border, across which refugees have fled to makeshift camps. The move could further strain ties with longtime ally Turkey, which has been critical of the crackdown.

By Alexandra Sandels, Los Angeles Times

June 24, 2011

Reporting from Beirut—

Syrian refugees pass a Turkish military vehicle as they cross the border near the Turkish village of Guvecci in Hatay province. Syrian activists say Syrian troops backed by tanks and snipers have entered a village along the border. (Burhan Ozbilici, Associated Press / June 24, 2011)

Syrian refugees pass a Turkish military vehicle as they cross the border near the Turkish village of Guvecci in Hatay province. Syrian activists say Syrian troops backed by tanks and snipers have entered a village along the border. (Burhan Ozbilici, Associated Press / June 24, 2011)

Syrian army units massed near the border with Turkey on Thursday, according to Syrian pro-democracy activists and media accounts, with some troops, backed by tanks, rolling into a village close to makeshift refugee camps housing civilians who fled villages in northwest Syria.

The expanded troop presence in the border zone could further aggravate already strained relations with Turkey, which has been critical of the ongoing Syrian crackdown on antigovernment protests.

An activist group, the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, said 40 tanks had been deployed in the border village of Khirbet Jouz and that snipers had taken positions on rooftops.

Syria has imposed severe restrictions on news coverage, making it difficult to independently verify activists’ accounts of the ongoing uprising against President Bashar Assad and his family’s decades-long regime.

Video aired by the Al Jazeera news channel showed Syrian military activity in full view of the Turkish border, including tanks with Syrian flags on a nearby hill and troops atop a tall building.

The Turkish Red Crescent said another 600 refugees had arrived in Turkey in response to the latest Syrian military move, joining the more than 10,000 who have fled in recent weeks.

The Associated Press reported that Turkish troops in the border area moved their positions back several hundred feet in an apparent bid to avoid a confrontation with the Syrian forces.

One analyst said the Syrian advance probably was more a case of asserting control of its territory than a deliberate provocation of its increasingly critical neighbor. The Syrian and Turkish foreign ministers discussed the border situation in a telephone conversation, Turkey’s semi-official Anatolian news agency reported.

For weeks, the Syrian army has attempted to root out opposition to Assad in northwestern cities and villages. Syrian state media has said that the army and security forces are hunting “armed terrorists” in the rugged mountainous areas near Turkey, an allegation that human rights activists deny.

In Brussels, the European Union said it had expanded its sanctions list against the Syrian regime, targeting seven more individuals and four companies, AP reported. That brings to 34 the number of people and entities, including Assad, faced with an asset freeze and travel ban. The EU also has an embargo on sales of arms and equipment that can be used to suppress demonstrations.

On Wednesday, Syria’s foreign minister, Walid Moallem, assailed European governments for the sanctions and said the West was fomenting unrest and instability in the Arab nation.

Despite the government crackdown, Syrian protesters called for new demonstrations.

Activists on the Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page — which has become an important force behind the protest movement — called Thursday for a nationwide general strike and urged fresh protests Friday.

The Syrian opposition estimates that 1,400 people have been killed since the protests began three months ago and that about 10,000 have been detained.

Sandels is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Patrick J. McDonnell in Tunis, Tunisia, contributed to this report.

via Syria conflict Turkey: Syrian troops said to mass on northwest border with Turkey – latimes.com.

June 24, 2011
Turkey Worries Syria’s Refugee Influx Could Cause Crisis

Hundreds of Syrian refugees have fled across the border into Turkey to escape the ongoing crackdown on anti-government protests. The influx has added to growing Turkish concerns that the deepening crisis in Syria could lead to the country facing a refugee crisis.

Nearly 250 Syrians recently crossed into Turkey seeking refuge.

Some belong to Syria’s Turkish minority, like this woman:

“My husband and I came because of the situation there,” she said. “Four people were killed in front of his eyes. So we ran away. All our lives are in danger.”

The refugees were housed in an indoor sports stadium, while a tent village was constructed by the Red Crescent Society.

With the crisis in Syria continuing to deepen, Turkish authorities are bracing themselves for more arrivals.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul, speaking on Monday, said Turkey is preparing to deal with a possible influx of refugees, saying authorities are taking measures to be ready for the worst-case scenario.

There are no entry restrictions on Syrians entering Turkey, following last year’s lifting of visa requirements by both countries.

Senior Turkish diplomat Selim Yenel says despite the crisis, there are no plans to suspend the agreement, at least for now.

“No, No, No, we hope this will not be the case, we are not in that situation right now,” said Yenel. “We do hope things will go on peacefully. That we are in close contact with Damascus. We are talking with them. And we are following things very closel, and therefore such a thing to happen.”

But its not only a potential refugee crisis that is causing increasing concern in Ankara. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced his fear of a potential break up of Syria.

“Turkey definitely does not want a separation of Syria, said Prime Minister Erdogan. “And Syria should not allow any attempts that could pave the way for separation.”

Syria, like Turkey, has a restive Kurdish minority. Since 1984, the Turkish-based Kurdish rebel group, the PKK, has been fighting the Turkish state for greater cultural and political rights. According to international relations expert and columnist for a Turkish daily, Soli Ozel, the chaos in Syria offers the PKK a powerful impetus, especially as it has close ties with Syria’s own large Kurdish minority.

“Now a third of the fighters of PKK happened to be from Syria,” said Ozel. “If the country divides along sectarian or ethnic lines, possibility of a Kurdish desire for an independence in the north of Syria obviously is going to throw Turkey off balance.”

Turkey’s 800-kilometer border with Syria runs along its predominantly Kurdish southeast. And most of Syria’s Kurdish minority lives just on the other side of it.

According to analysts, Syrian President Bashir al-Assad has controlled his own Kurdish population with an iron fist. He is widely believed to be playing on Turkish fears that if that fist were relaxed, the Kurds would secede. But Syrian opposition groups are keen to stress that is just scaremongering.

Anas Abdah is head of the international branch of Damascus Declaration, an opposition umbrella group.

“Think this is very important for the Turkish people and Turkish leadership to understand, the fact that the Kurdish element in Syria, which is around 2 million, or about 9 percent of the population is not going to react in a way, which will mean a secession of Syrian land or any kind of problems with the neighbor, either Turkey or Iraq,” said Anas Abdah.

Political scientist Nuray Mert is suspicious of such assurances. She thinks that spreading regional turmoil may offer Kurds across the whole region a unique opportunity.

“Syrian Kurds are against the existing regime, the Iranian Kurds are against Ahmadinejad regime, and they may have some role in regime changes in the region,” said Nuray Mert. “And it empowers the PKK movement and Turkish Kurds’ political movement. Because anyway we have huge problems concerning Kurdish problem in Turkey.”

Observers warn that the prospect of Kurds in neighboring Iran and Syria, freed from oppressive regimes and joining their Iraqi counterparts, who already have substantial autonomy, could rekindle the dream for many Turkish Kurds of an independent state. For Ankara, that would be a nightmare.

via Turkey Worries Syria’s Refugee Influx Could Cause Crisis | Middle East | English VOA

May 4, 2011
Controversy Erupts over Proposed De-Mining of the Turkish-Syrian Border

Controversy Erupts over Proposed De-Mining of the Turkish-Syrian Border

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 6 Issue: 98

May 21, 2009

By: Saban Kardas

The Turkish parliament began debating a controversial bill last week to clear and destroy mines along the border with Syria. A private contractor plans to carry out the de-mining and secure the allocation of the cleared area for its agricultural use. The bill once again exposed divisions between the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the opposition parties, as well as within the ruling party. The prospects that the tender might be awarded to foreign and especially Israeli companies, alarmed opposition parties, which have argued that the proposed legislation is another indication that the AKP is betraying Turkish national interests.

Following its ratification of the Ottawa Convention on the destruction of anti-personnel mines (APM’s) in 2003, Turkey pledged to destroy its existing stockpiles and those already placed along its borders. According to the Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, Turkey has since destroyed 43 percent of its 2,690,929 APM’s and plans to remove the remainder by 2010. Moreover, there are currently around 981,790 APM’s deployed along its borders and in strategic locations. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has started mine-clearing operations within some provinces (ANKA, May 17).

Around two-thirds of the 900,000 APM’s on Turkey’s borders are located on the Turkish-Syrian border. The finance and defense ministries supported the view of the Turkish military authorities that the best option was to sub-contract the de-mining of the border. Under that tender, to be conducted in accordance with the Public Procurement Law, the company awarded the mine-clearing rights will be required to complete its work within five years. Moreover, it will have the right to lease cleared areas belonging to the treasury for agricultural use for up to 44 years (Today’s Zaman, June 24, 2008; www.cnnturk.com, May 3). The management of underground resources, such as oil and minerals, is not covered by the tender. The Turkish petroleum company TPAO plans to explore drilling for oil in this area (Cihan Haber Ajansi, May 18).

The plan to sub-contract the clean-up project to private companies has long been featured on the government’s agenda. The MHP and CHP opposition parties expressed concern that foreign companies, especially Israeli firms, might become involved in the project. An earlier tender was canceled by the council of state owing to such objections. The government has delayed parliamentary discussions on a revised bill, which is intended to provide a more solid legal framework to conduct the project (www.rotahaber.com, March 17, 2008). Since it has also come under increasing pressure to meet the deadline set by the Ottawa Convention, the bill was finally presented to parliament last week, prompting heated discussion.

The opposition parties raised several objections. They claimed that allowing foreign companies to operate on Turkey’s borders might pose a threat to its national security. Consequently, they demanded that the TSK should be given the sole responsibility for mine-clearing. Moreover, they alleged that the TSK also harbored reservations over the bill. In their defense, government officials referred to “classified” correspondence with the TSK in which the latter expressed a preference for sub-contracting to private companies. Equally, they noted the military’s concerns had been incorporated into the draft bill. According to the government, land required for ensuring border security will not be leased to the contractor (Anadolu Ajansi, May 14). However, those statements failed to satisfy the opposition, who argued that the government had misled the public. One CHP representative invited the TSK to issue a statement clarifying its stance on the bill. He also called for its withdrawal, saying that if approved in parliament, the party will refer the issue to the constitutional court (Anadolu Ajansi, May 18).

Moreover, some opposition deputies claimed that the wording within the bill indicates it was drafted to favor awarding the tender to Israeli companies. They alleged that this proved the hypocrisy of the AKP’s foreign policy, given Erdogan’s earlier anti-Israeli rhetoric (ANKA, May 16). In response, the Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek denied that this was intended, and said fourteen companies were currently in competition for the tender. He added that although there are no Turkish companies specializing both in mine-clearance and agriculture, some might consider forming consortiums with foreign partners to compete for the tender (www.cnnturk.com, May 13). Although Simsek did not disclose the identity of any company involved, one Turkish daily said that it had obtained the list of contenders which included companies from Britain, Croatia, Denmark, France, Israel, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine and the United States (Today’s Zaman, May 17).

In addition, many opposition deputies, including those from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society, demanded that the areas designated for mine-clearance should be distributed locally, in order to benefit the rural economy. Simsek, however, contends that such redistribution might result in the inefficient use of agricultural land, and therefore the government prefers to lease it en masse. Many AKP parliamentarians also share the opposition’s concerns (www.nethaber.com, May 16). Owing to these objections, the government has been unable to rapidly pass the bill in parliament.

Moreover, given the continued controversy over the possible involvement of Israeli firms, the conservative press favoring the AKP has also joined the rising criticism of the bill (Yeni Safak, May 20). Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a hastily convened closed door meeting to allay the concerns of the AKP deputies. In a bid to reassure them that bill adequately protected Turkish national interests, Erdogan allegedly claimed that “the controversy was a product of the opposition parties, trying to wear us down through their unfair accusations” (Hurriyet Daily News, May 20).

The heated discussion surrounding the bill reveals that concern over national security remains high on the domestic political agenda. Across the political spectrum there is sensitivity to any initiative that might imply an infringement of the country’s territorial integrity. The presence on Turkish soil of foreign capital or troops, can easily be manipulated to garner opposition against any effort to develop closer ties with the outside world.

https://jamestown.org/program/controversy-erupts-over-proposed-de-mining-of-the-turkish-syrian-border/

May 22, 2009