Syria back on Turkey's agenda
The Syria issue is suddenly back on Turkey’s agenda after attacks by armed individuals coming from Syria.
Just what Turkey needed: As the country was already in the throes of pre-election turbulence, plus corruption scandals and leaks of secret phone conversations, the Syrian boomerang came back. The warning by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), that Turkey could easily send its army inside Syria to defend the Sovereign Turkish Enclave of Jabar Fortress and the Tomb of Suleiman Shah, guarded by a small Turkish military detachment, was enough to bring the issue of a cross border operation on the agenda. This comes in addition to comments by Minister of Energy Taner Yildiz that in case of an attack against the tomb, Turkey could respond with “a specific point attack.” But a more serious development took place at Nigde, southeast of Ankara.
On March 20, while security forces were conducting routine checks on the Ulukisla-Adana expressway, three foreigners emerging from a taxi opened fire with an AK-47 (some reports say Glock automatics) and lobbed a hand grenade, killing a soldier and a policeman, and wounding five soldiers. The attackers were wounded in return fire, but got away in a van they commandeered for their escape. Two of the attackers who spoke Arabic and English were apprehended at Eminlik village, where villagers, thinking they were wounded Syrians, took them to the local medical clinic. The two were then transferred to a hospital at Nigde where local people protested vehemently, necessitating their transfer to Ankara. The third attacker was caught at Ulukisla village of Pozanti township. After performing his morning prayers at the local mosque, he went to shop for food and paid with a $50 bill. He was returning to the mosque when he was caught by security forces tipped off by villagers.
Minister of Interior Efkan Ala said two of the attackers were born in Albania and one in Kosovo. They spoke in Arabic. Local news reports said the Albanians were 18 years old and the Kosovan, 23. They had three AK-47s, three pistols, seven hand grenades, two silencers, three bayonets and radios.
According to Dogan News Agency, Kosovan police officials confirmed that the attackers are linked to al-Qaeda and three have been wanted by police because of previous crimes in Albania and Kosovo. Kosovan security officials said they have obtained information that the attackers had joined al-Qaeda in Syria along with about 100 other Kosovars.
