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Turkish Troops Rescues Soldiers Surrounded By IS Militants In Syria

Hundreds of  Turkish troops in armoured vehicles swept into Syria overnight to rescue about 40 soldiers who had been surrounded for months by Islamic State … Continue reading Turkish Troops Rescues Soldiers Surrounded By IS Militants In Syria


turkish troopsHundreds of  Turkish troops in armoured vehicles swept into Syria overnight to rescue about 40 soldiers who had been surrounded for months by Islamic State militants while guarding the tomb of a revered Turkish figure.

The operation, which involved tanks, drones, reconnaissance planes and several hundred ground troops, was the first of such incursion by Turkish troops into Syria since the start of the civil war there nearly four years ago.

The military said no clashes took place during the operation although one soldier had been killed in an accident.

The 38 soldiers who had been guarding the tomb of Suleyman Shah, grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, were brought safely home. The tomb, which is on a site within Syria that Ankara considers sovereign territory, was relocated.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the remains of Suleyman Shah would be moved elsewhere in Syria.

He said troops had destroyed the tomb’s complex, apparently to prevent it from being used by Islamic State (IS) militants.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Turkey had not sought permission or assistance for the mission but had informed allies in the coalition against Islamic State once it began.

“This was an extremely successful operation with no loss to our rights under international law,” he said, flanked by the chief of the military and the defense minister.

Normally, the detachment is rotated every six months but the last one was trapped there for eight months by Islamic State fighters.

Islamic State and other Islamist groups, whose strict Salafi interpretation of Islam deems the veneration of tombs to be idolatrous, have destroyed several tombs and mosques in Syria.

The operation was conducted via the Syrian Kurdish border town of Kobani with the support of local Kurdish authorities. Kurdish forces, backed by U.S. led air strikes, drove Islamic State from Kobani last month.

The Turkish foreign ministry said the tomb had been temporarily moved to a new site within Syria North of the village of Esmesi close to the Turkish border.

Davutoglu said about 100 military vehicles, 39 tanks, 572 military personnel and special forces commandos were were involved. Turkish fighter jets were on alert during the mission but did not need to be deployed, he said.

There was no immediate reaction from the Syrian authorities.