Turkey has contacted the UN and Nato after Syrian shells killed five people in a Turkish town near the border between the two countries.
The shells exploded after being fired into Akcakale from Tall al-Abyad in Syria, where forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are trying to put down an 18-month-old insurgency.
The dead are said to include a woman and her three children.
Later, reports said Turkey had struck back at Syrian targets.
A statement from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish forces had shelled targets along the border identified by radar, AFP news agency reported.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc was quoted as saying that Syria must be made to account for the incident and there must be a response under international law.
Not to get overly dramatic, but there are potentially the seeds of a major conflict in this. Turkey is a US ally and member of NATO. Syria is a Russian and Iranian ally, and the Russians and Iranians have been assisting Assad during the rebellion. Add to that, the chaotic nature of the war in Syria.
Ruh roh.
I could seen The Whine wanting a Wag the Dog kinetic military action against AQIM “to get back at those who assassinated our brave ambassador” right before the election. But I don’t think anyone wants us to go to war in Syria.
Of course, with the Erdogan government, the proper response is to kick Turkey out of NATO.
“Turkey is a US ally and member of NATO.”
Yes, this is a very touchy situation. Another dangerous factor: Obama is reportedly very close to Erdrogan, the Muslim, retrograde Turkish PM.
Are you suggesting that the turkeys may come home to roost?
Greetings:
I think that a “sometimes US ally” would be more accurate. When the 4th Infantry Division wanted to pass through to go aknocking on some of Saddam Hussein’s palace doors, Erdogan and company said no. How Turkey is still allowed to stay in NATO is a bit beyond my comprehension. Why NATO would want a burgeoning Islamic state in its inner recesses inthis day and age makes no sense to me at all.
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I do not trust Erdgan. War is deceit says Allah. May be Turkey fights against Kurdes who are in the border districts. Trrkey has nearly a million armed men he can move around if he pleases. NATO should stay away from this creep – but will they?
That’s the thing – the Kurds are pretty close to being in a state of rebellion as it is (and it’s funny how the world ignores their plight) and if Turkey gets involved in Syria, the Kurds will likely try to take advantage of it.
Poor Turks. Oh, well, they’re getting what they voted for.
Shouldn’t we be condemning Zionist over-reaction?
Greetings:
I don’t know the bases for such a rapid conclusion and reaction about this incident. In Obama-time, it would require at least a multi-month investigation, no ???
And I seem to remember a mention in my infantry handbook about infiltrating between two armed forces, shooting both ways and skedaddling, leaving those left behind to try and sort out the mischief. Earlier reports identified the rounds as coming from mortars which don’t actually shoot all that far. How Turkey knows it was Syria and not some conniving Islamaniac group has yet to be established in my mind.
Turkey has been hopping mad for quite a while now about what’s going on in Syria and the kuffars of the West failure to jump in with both feet, a wallet, and a pocketbook. Turkey, in that traditional Islamic way, also pines for the lost glories of the Ottoman Empire.
Lastly, as Fouad Ajami has written, those are the lands of “I against my brother, my brother and I against our cousin; and my cousin, my brother, and I against the stranger. Let them all enjoy each other while we, and our empty treasury, get some rest.