Turkish military enters Syria to evacuate Ottoman tomb

ANKARA: Turkish forces swept into Syria 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 Syrian government described the operation as act of “flagrant aggression” and said it would hold Ankara responsible for its repercussions.

The action, which involved tanks, drones and reconnaissance planes as well as several hundred ground troops, was the first 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 as agreed in a 1921 treaty, was relocated.

Suleyman Shah was the grandfather of Osman I who founded the Ottoman Empire in 1299. Travelling through modern-day Syria, he fell off his horse and drowned in the Euphrates near the site of the mausoleum, according to historians.

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

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a news conference that Turkey had not sought permission or assistance for the mission but had informed allies in the coalition against IS 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 defence minister.

The Syrian government said Turkey would be held responsible for its breach of the treaty after failing to wait for an agree- ment from Damascus before proceeding with the operation.

The Turkish government had informed the Syrian consulate in Istanbul about the operation but had not awaited Syria’s agreement, it said, adding that the operation was a violation of the 1921 agreement.

A Turkish security source said the operation was conducted via the Syrian Kurdish border town of Kobani with the support of local Kurdish authorities. Kurdish forces, backed by US-led air strikes, drove IS 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, including 39 tanks, were involved along with 572 military personnel including special forces commandos. Turkish fighter jets were on alert during the mission but did not need to be deployed, he said.