adminThe armed groups were trying to make inroads into Syria through the Syrian border town of Khirbet al-Jous, said the TV, adding that the troops confronted and killed many of the infiltrators, many of whom were foreign nationals, including a Turkish who was identified as Hamza Mohmmad Akbar.
The latest incident comes as the tension between Syria and Turkey has hit a new high after a mortar shell, fired from Syria on Wednesday, landed at a house at the Turkish province of Sanliurfa province and killed five Turks.
The Turkish artillery has reportedly fired twice at Syrian targets after the incident, raising thus the already-high tension between both countries.
The last hit by Turkey reportedly occurred on Thursday morning at Syrian military posts at Tal Abyad town, killing some Syrian soldiers, according to Turkey’s Today’s Zaman daily.
Syria’s state-media didn’t confirm or deny the account.
On Wednesday, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said that “serious” investigation is currently underway to determine the source of the mortar shells, and stressed that such incidents should be handled with “wisdom and prudence”.
The minister also extended his condolences to the family that lost five of its members.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s Parliament passed a bill that gives Turkey the right to respond to any future attack from Syria.
The cross-border tension has sparked international fears of further escalation between the two countries.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Moscow is deeply worried about mounting tensions on the Syria-Turkey borders, urging both sides to show maximum restraint.
China also called for restraint as its Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei appealed “to all relevant sides including Turkey and Syria to exercise restraint and refrain from taking any action that will escalate tensions in order to maintain peace and stability in the region”.
For his side, Arab League (AL) Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi voiced his “anxiety” over the incident and warned that such incidents on the Turkish-Syrian borders may bring a threat for the regional and world security.
Meanwhile, the foreign policy chief of the European Union (EU) Catherine Ashton strongly condemned the attack saying the incident illustrated clearly the tragic spill-over effects of the Syrian crisis in neighbouring countries.
Despite the high tension, the cross-border incident is highly unlikely to be a key for a war between both countries, in part, due to the lack of willingness from both countries to wage such a war and the devastating results that such war would produce on both societies, observers say. Turkey has emerged as a sympathiser to armed rebel groups in Syria, providing them with safe havens and other facilitation. Erdogan has repeatedly called on the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
The UN Security Council has unanimously approved a statement condemning “in the strongest terms” Syria’s shelling of a Turkish town that killed five people.
Council members managed to bridge differences between the strong statement demanded by the United States and its Western supporters and backed by their Nato ally Turkey, and a weaker text pushed by Russia, Syria’s most important ally, after negotiations that began late on Wednesday and continued until Thursday.
In the Press statement, which needed approval from all 15 council members, the UN’s most powerful body said the incident “highlighted the grave impact the crisis in Syria has on the security of its neighbours and on regional peace and stability”.
It also extended condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Turkey.
The council demanded an immediate end to such violations of international law and called on the Syrian government “to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours”. Russia’s agreement that the Syrian shelling violated international law was a key concession by Moscow.
The original Western-backed draft, proposed by Azerbaijan, condemned the shelling “in the strongest terms” and called it a violation of international law. Proposed Russian amendments never mentioned any breaches of international law, so the inclusion in the final text was a concession by Moscow.
Earlier on Thursday, Syria’s UN envoy said his government was not seeking any escalation of violence with Turkey and wanted to maintain good neighbourly relations.
Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari said the government did not apologise for the shelling from Syria because it was waiting for the outcome of an investigation on the source of the firing.
He read reporters a letter he delivered to the Security Council that sent Syria’s “deepest condolences” to the families of the victims “and to the friendly and brotherly people of Turkey.”
It urged Turkey and its other neighbours to “act wisely, rationally and responsibly” and to prevent cross-border infiltration of
“terrorists and insurgents” and the smuggling of arms.
During Thursday’s negotiations on the text when the outcome was still in doubt, US Ambassador Susan Rice told reporters
“we think it’s very important that the council speak clearly and swiftly to condemn this shelling.”
“This sort of cross-border military activity is very destabilising and must be stopped,” she said.
The border violence has added a dangerous new dimension to Syria’s civil war, dragging Syria’s neighbours deeper into a conflict that activists say has already killed 30 000 people since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime began in March 2011. — Xinhua/AFP
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