Turkey scrambles jets as Syrian warplanes bomb border region

Published time: December 03, 2012 10:44
Edited time: December 03, 2012 14:44
A Turkish Air Force F16 jet fighter (Reuters/Umit Bektas)

The Turkish Air Force scrambled F-16 jets fighter jets along its border with Syria after Syrian warplanes attacked rebel positions on their side of the border.

­The Syrian forces were targeting the rebel-controlled town of Ras al-Ain, reports the Lebanese newspaper Daily Star, citing Turkish security sources. The rebels captured the locations about a month ago.

The source said the Turkish planes came from the base in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir.

As the battle at the Syrian town continued, some stray shells landed on the Turkish territory. Residents of the affected town of Ceylanpinar, which abuts Ras al-Ain, panicked after hearing the explosions.

The sources said it was not clear whether the shells came from governmental forces or the rebels.

The incident came as NATO countries are considering deploying Patriot SAMs in the Turkish territory on Ankara’s request. Turkey says it needs the defensive systems along the border region to protect its national security.

Ankara has been a vocal supporter of the Syrian rebels for a better part of the 20-month-long armed conflict.

Damascus accuses Turkey of facilitating arms smuggling to the rebels and allowing them to use refugee camps in its territory as bases of recruiting and operation.

Comments (15)

gypsyranger 04.12.2012 02:34

I can't see how the USrael/NATO plan is going to work anymore. Surely it is an exercise in futility now? These countries are going bankrupt in front of our very eyes. Their peoples are protesting more and more against their governments, both in the West and in the puppet regimes of the East. Time is running out. Meanwhile Russia and China just keep on growing, steady and safe and no fighting anyone.

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Javan (unregistered) 04.12.2012 01:35

Turkey is eager to get its foot inside EU, that's not been happening for last 10 years, so they do everything to achieve their goal and becoming the enemy of the syrian people is one of the promises they have made to EU. Turkish government consist of sunny Muslims and totally depend on Saudi and UAE investment in turkey, the turmoil in Syria has its root there, knowing that Saudis and UAE are the biggest supporter of U.S and England foreign policy toward nations in Middle East and that these regimes are also the biggest buyer of U.S and EU weapons Turkish government trying to cash in by supporting terrorism sent from all over Europe to Istanbul and then shipped to Syria, in another word turkey has become he supply rote of terrorist so as weapon to these elements called rebellion. 

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God willing (unregistered) 03.12.2012 20:52

Over 40,000 dead, 1.5 million displaced, massacred by Muslim savages........Pra y and kill, prey and kill some more.....Savages...

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