Turkey Fires on Syria After Deadly Shelling attack
Turkey Approves Military Action In Syria After Shelling Kills 5 In Akcakale
Turkey Fires on Syria Army Post in Retaliation, -asks UN Security Council to take emergency methods
AP 4 October 2012
AKCAKALE, Turkey -- Turkey's deputy prime minister says Syria has admitted it was responsible for the shelling that killed five civilians in Turkey and has formally apologized for the deaths.
Besir Atalay says Thursday that Syria has reassured the U.N. that "such an incident will not occur again."
The cross-border tensions escalated on Wednesday after a shell fired from inside Syria landed on a home in the Turkish village of Akcakale, killing a woman, her three daughters and another woman, and wounding at least 10 others, according to Turkish media.
Turkey's Parliament authorized military operations against Syria and its military fired on targets there for a second day on Thursday after deadly shelling from Syria killed five civilians in a Turkish border town. The border violence has added a dangerous new dimension to a conflict that is pulling Syria's neighbors deeper into what already resembles a proxy war.
Turkey's deputy prime minister said Parliament's authorization is not declaration of war on Syria, but should act as a deterrent.
The cross-border tensions escalated on Wednesday after a shell fired from inside Syria landed on a home in the Turkish village of Akcakale, killing a woman, her three daughters and another woman, and wounding at least 10 others, according to Turkish media.
Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said the bill gives Turkey the right to respond to any future attacks from Syria.
"The bill is not for war," he said of the bill. "It has deterrent qualities."
The bill opens the way to unilateral action by Turkey's armed forces inside Syria, without the involvement of its Western and Arab allies. Turkey uses a similar provision to attack suspected Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq.
The Turkish retaliation is the latest in a series of events that have sharply escalated tensions between the two neighbors that were once allies.
In June, Turkey reinforced its border with anti-aircraft missiles and threatened to target any approaching Syrian military elements after Syrian forces brought down a Turkish jet, killing its two pilots. Turkey said the plane was in international airspace, countering Syrian claims that it was in Syrian airspace.
But Atalay said Turkey's "main priority" was to "act together with the international community."
"That is why we called on NATO and the United Nations to take up the issue," Atalay said, adding that the bill
"It is something that we can assess if the need arises," he said.
Turkish response was prompt. It fired salvos of artillery rounds deep inside Syria. The NATO military alliance, of which Turkey is a member, met at an emergency session in Brussels, condemned the attack on Turkey and demanded "the immediate cessation of such aggressive acts against an ally." It also urged the Syrian regime to "put an end to flagrant violations of international law."
Mustafa Guclu, a witness in Akcakale, said the Turkish military fired five rounds of artillery "after midnight" and another round around 5 a.m. on Thursday.
"I have not heard any more shelling since then," he told the Associated Press.
The Syrian mortar shell damaged the door and walls of a house in Akcakale, while shrapnel poked holes and shattered windows of neighboring houses and shops.
Some residents of Akcakale abandoned their homes close to the border and spent the night on the streets. Others gathered outside the local mayor's office, afraid to return to their homes as the dull thud of distant artillery fire rumbled across the town.
The Turkish retaliatory shelling and steps to authorize possible military intervention is the latest in a series of events that have sharply escalated tensions between the two neighbors that were once allies.
In June, Turkey reinforced its border with anti-aircraft missiles and threatened to target any approaching Syrian military elements after Syrian forces brought down a Turkish jet, killing its two pilots. Turkey said the plane was in international airspace, countering Syrian claims that it was in Syrian airspace.
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