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Turkey scrambles jets as Syria aircraft
near border
2.7.2012 |
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Turkey says scrambled F16s to
check Syrian border
July 2, 2012
ANKARA,— Turkey scrambled six F-16
fighter jets in three separate incidents responding
to Syrian military helicopters approaching the
border on Sunday, its armed forces command said on
Monday.
It was the second time in as many days Turkish jets
were launched in response to Syrian helicopters
flying near the border and comes after a Turkish
reconnaissance plane was shot down by Syria late
last month.
The jets took off from Incirlik air base in southern
Turkey after Syrian helicopters were spotted flying
south of the Turkish province of Hatay, the chief of
general staff said on the military's website.
Two helicopters had come within 2.5 miles (4 km) and
one had come within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the border,
it said. Two of the helicopters were MI-8 type
aircraft and one was an MI-17, all Russian-built
transport helicopters.
On Sunday, Turkey said it had scrambled six F-16s
near its border with Syria after similar transport
helicopters were spotted flying either within 4
miles (6.4 km) of the border or "close" to the
border.
Turkey's heightened military activity along its
southern border comes after Syria shot down one of
its jets over the Mediterranean on June 22,
prompting a sharp rebuke from Ankara which said it
would respond "decisively".
Turkey has beefed up its troop presence and air
defences along the border since the incident and
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the
military's rules of engagement had been changed and
that any Syrian element approaching Turkey's border
and deemed a threat would be treated as a military
target.
Syria says it shot down the Turkish jet in
self-defence and that it was brought down in Syrian
air space. Turkey says the jet accidentally violated
Syrian air space for a few minutes but was brought
down in international air space.
While the incident has heightened tension between
the once-close allies, neither Turkey, which fears a
local clash escalating into a regional sectarian
conflict,www.ekurd.net
nor Syria, has any interest in a confrontation on
their shared border.
Turkey has become increasingly vocal against Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, calling for him to step
down, and has given sanctuary to rebels and groups
opposing the Syrian leader. There are more than
35,000 Syrian refugees living in camps on the
Turkish side of the border with Syria.
Separately, Turkey's armed forces command said it
had carried out air strikes on three separate
Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq between
the dates of June 26-30.
It said the strikes were carried out in the Qandil
and Zab areas and targeted shelters belonging to the
"separatist terror organisation", a term used to
describe the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
which is fighting for greater Kurdish autonomy in
Turkey. It gave no further details.
The PKK has several times proposed peaceful solutions regarding Kurdish problem,
Turkey has always refused saying that it will not negotiate with “terrorists”.
Since it was established in 1984, the PKK has been
fighting the Turkish state, which still denies the
constitutional existence of Kurds, to establish a
Kurdish state in the south east of the country, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000
lives.
But now its aim is the creation an autonomous
Kurdish region
and more cultural rights for ethnic Kurds who
constitute the greatest minority in Turkey,
numbering more than 20 million. A large Turkey's
Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK rebels.
PKK's demands included releasing PKK detainees,
lifting the ban on education in Kurdish, paving the
way for an autonomous democrat Kurdish system within
Turkey, reducing pressure on the detained PKK leader
Abdullah Öcalan, stopping military action against
the Kurdish party and recomposing the Turkish
constitution.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish
politicians say the measures fall short of their
expectations.
The PKK is considered ass 'terrorist' organization by
Ankara and U.S. The PKK continues to be on the
blacklist list in EU despite court ruling which
overturned a decision
to place the Kurdish rebel group PKK and its
political wing on the European Union's terror list.
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