In a move to intensify its defense near the Syrian border, Turkey has deployed additional troops and more weapons to the country’s southeast. Earlier this week, Turkey sent reinforcement to the south amid Washington’s calls for a military strike on Syria.
The Turkish military dispatched additional units to Suruc,
located in the southern province of Sanlıurfa, on Sunday, Today's
Zaman reported. According to the report, semi-trailer trucks
loaded with armored vehicles and tanks were sent midday from a
command post in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.
Local newspaper Hurriyet also reported on Sunday that Turkish
fighter jets conducted a patrol flight over the Syrian border due
to “increased activity” in the area.
Automated firing units using Stinger missiles for very short
range air defenses have been set up on top of a high hill in the
Syrian border town of Yayladagi in Hatay province, Reuters
reported, citing a witness who said that the defense system's
radar was active.
Over the past week, Turkey also moved convoys of military
vehicles carrying equipment and personnel between its bases near
the southeastern border.
Reinforcement units were sent on Wednesday from a military
command in the southern province of Gaziantep to Kilis province,
located on the Syrian border. On Thursday, additional convoys of
military units, weapons, and vehicles were also dispatched to the
southern province of Hatay.
Turkish armed forces have also begun to establish a new base on
the top of Kel Mountain, adjacent to the Syrian coastal city of
Latakia, according to Hurriyet.
Military equipment, which was carried by trucks for two days from
the Yayladağı district to the southern Hatay province, is being
assembled on top of the mountain.
It remains unclear what prompted the decision to send
reinforcements to the border, as neither the Turkish military nor
the Ministry of Defense were available to provide comment to
Reuters.
Local media speculated that the move could be related to a
Tuesday accident which occurred when a package of live ammunition
exploded while being smuggled into Turkey. Six people were killed
in the incident at the border.
It has been suggested by the media that the additional troops
will be the first to respond to a possible strike by Syria.
In a recent statement, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan reiterated
that Turkey - which has been openly supporting the rebel
opposition - was ready to take part in any international
coalition against Syria.
"Whether it would be as an opposing force or supplying forces
to provide logistical support, all this would be determined by
circumstances," Erdogan said on Sunday.
Turkey has been bolstering security along its 900km (560 mile)
border with Syria over the past year.
Meanwhile, US Congress is set to debate whether to give the green
light for military intervention after President Barack Obama
proposed limited strikes in response to what Washington insists
was the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime against
Syrian civilians.