This video shows a long convoy of Turkish military vehicles being transported to Turkish-Syrian border via Mardin.
As if waiting for
that moment, some activists had hard time in hiding their joy when Syria shot
down Turkish warplane, believing that this now makes a good case for taking
some tangible steps in averting 16-month long crisis in Turkey's southern
neighbor.
I have bad news
for warmongers: I know no single case of plane shootdown since the WWII that
sparked a full-fledged armed conflict. Turkey has no major interest in
attacking Syria, including a security one.
Turkey has long
worked tooth and nail to make its Syria policy relevant and emphasis has been
repeatedly put on Syria being Turkey's neighboring country. But this alone does
not make this country more important than other countries which are not
Turkey's neighbors.
Now there is an
ample opportunity for Turkey to portray Syria as a country ruled by a regime
that is too much frustrated and desparately attacking neighboring countries
with no reason.
I'm an
anti-interventionist yet I'm a staunch supporter of heightened security in
Turkish-Syrian border. It was Turkey's mistake to let Turkish-Syrian border
loose and fragile to an attack from Syria. When Syria was deploying tanks and
armored vehicles in Aleppo, only dozens of miles away from Turkey, Ankara
should have demanded an explanation from Damascus and requested it to withdraw
the troops.
Syria shot down
Turkish fighter jet on Friday and Erdoğan ordered the army to stay alert and
changed the rules of engagement of the military on Tuesday. The Turkish army is
now ordered to shoot anything they deem threatening from the Syrian side.
This means Syrian
troops and tanks won't be able to conduct hot pursuit of rebels, conduct
military operations near the Turkish border and pound bombs on rebel camps by
choppers or warplanes.
This, in turn,
will increase defections and make the Turkish border safe haven for the rebels.
All Syria's borders need to be safe havens. Neighbouring countries should all take steps to protect their borders and civilian human rights in those regions.
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