Turkisk military returns fire after mortar bomb from Syria lands in Hatay Province

[Bosonic]

Last edited Fri Oct 5, 2012, 01:28 PM - Edit history (2)

Source: Reuters

TURKISH MILITARY RETURNS FIRE AFTER MORTAR BOMB FROM SYRIA LANDS IN FARMLAND IN TURKEY'S HATAY PROVINCE

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/254260666976833536

The Turkish military returned fire after a mortar bomb fired from Syria landed in countryside in southern Turkey, the state-run Anatolian news agency reported the governor of Hatay province as saying on Friday.

Turkish artillery bombarded Syrian military targets on Wednesday and Thursday in response to shelling by Syrian forces that killed five Turkish civilians further east along the border.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/05/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE88J0X720121005

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Earlier today :

Turkey warns 'not far' from war after Syrian attack

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday his country was 'not far' from war with Syria following cross-border attacks this week - words which highlighted the danger that the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Asaad will drag in its neighbors.

In a belligerent speech to a crowd in Istanbul, Erdogan warned the Assad government it would be making a fatal mistake if it picked a fight with Turkey.

The speech followed a Syrian mortar barrage on a town in southeast Turkey that killed five people on Tuesday.

Turkish artillery bombarded Syrian military targets on Wednesday and Thursday in response, killing several Syrian soldiers, and the Turkish parliament has authorized cross-border military action in the event of further aggression.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/05/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE88J0X720121005

[harun]

1. If it wasn't for the Election, Obama would have green lighted Turkey to take

care of Syria.

[pampango]

3. Doubt it. Obama didn't give Turkey a green light last year or earlier this year. Not sure

why you think he would do it if there were no election.

The US and NATO are urging Turkey to go slow and Turkey itself seems to have no desire to engage in all out war with Syria. The two countries were best buddies before the protests and repression of them started 18 months ago. They had a free trade deal and had loosened up travel requirements for the benefit of business and tourism. It's not like Turkey has been looking for an excuse to invade Syria.

[Bosonic]

2. But not all Turks are keen to get drawn further in...

Thousands protest in Turkey over Syria mandate

Protesters take to the streets in Ankara and Istanbul after Turkey's parliament approved military operations against targets in Syria following the deaths of five Turkish citizens from Syrian shelling.

Around 5,000 people took to the streets of Istanbul on Thursday evening in an anti-war protest which turned into a demonstration against Turkey's ruling AK Party. Protesters chanted slogans against the war as they carried anti-government banners.

"We are going through an ugly provocation of war. The Turkish and Syrian people are not enemies, but the ruling AK Party government is trying to drag our country into a war with Syria in compliance with US interests," said protester Nevzat Evrim Onal.

The Turkish slogan "savasa hayir" ("no to war&quot was the top trending item on Turkey's Twitter on Thursday morning.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/9588458/Thousands-protest-in-Turkey-over-Syria-mandate.html

[Alameda]

4. "savasa hayir" does not translate as ("no to war")

hayir means good...actually the letter here i is not correct, it is an undotted i in Turkish. There is no word in Turkish spelled hayir.

http://www.turkishdictionary.net/?word=hayir

My Turkish is rudimentary, but I can see this translation is not accurate.

[Bosonic]

5. I can only go by what Google translate spits out

and that is "savasa hayir" ~ "no war".

If this is incorrect, then what is the general semantic feeling of "savasa hayir" ? (don't care about syntactics really).

[Alameda]

10. it does mean no war

.........I just get hung up in wondering the exact translations.

[Bosonic]

6. Syria agrees to buffer zone along Turkish border, say reports

Turkish media says deal struck in wake of this week's deadly border shelling incident which killed five Turkish civilians.

Syria has agreed to keep its forces six miles (10km) back from the Turkish border in the wake of this week's deadly shelling incident, Turkish media has reported.

Such a move would amount to a buffer zone – fulfilling a long-standing request by Syrian opposition groups that would allow rebels to operate freely and civilians to seek refuge.

Syria has not confirmed the claim and Ankara has made no official announcement. However, several Turkish media outlets, citing well-placed sources, claimed a deal had been struck.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/05/syria-agrees-buffer-zone-turkish-border-reports?CMP=twt_gu

[struggle4progress]

7. Turkey fires on Syria after another mortar hits

Turkish troops fired at Syria again Friday, responding to another mortar shell from Syria that struck Turkish territory, the country's state-run news agency said.

The shelling came hours after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Syria not to test Turkey's patience.

The Anadolu Agency quoted Gov. Celalettin Lekesiz as saying a mortar shell hit 50 yards inside the border in a rural area near the village of Asagipulluyaz in Hatay province.

No one was hurt by the mortar, but Turkish troops based in the area immediately responded with fire, he said ...

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57526974/turkey-fires-on-syria-after-another-mortar-hits/

[Tx4obama]

8. Kick! n/t

[L0oniX]

9. Turkey has a large military and could destroy Syria ...and Iran.

http://www.nationmaster.com/country/tu-turkey/mil-military

[riderinthestorm]

11. And would unleash a genocidal bloodbath! Sunnis destroying the minority Shia? Really??

Because that's what's being proposed.

The Alawite Shia (Assad and Co), and the Shia Iranians see this conflict through a religious lens. Throw in some tribal conflicts, Israel and the old cold war rivalries between the US and Russia (and the competitive Chinese vying for influence in the oil rich ME), and the whole place is a fucking disaster. But jayzus, Turkey going to war against Iran and Syria would have devastating consequences for generations.

[L0oniX]

12. Just pointing out that they have a very large military and no one should f*ck with them.

[riderinthestorm]

13. Uhm, Turkey's the one whose stirring the shit in Syria!

It was a Turkish plane that violated Syria's airspace 4x before it was shot down, which MAY have been an accident (or provocative in light of their alliance with the Sunni's fighting in Syria).

Honestly, I'm pretty sure Syria does NOT want a battle with Turkey and there's no indication that Assad has been aggressive with Turkey at all unless you have reports I haven't seen.