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Turkey Begins Military Exercises near Syria
As part of its plans to put more pressure on Syria's embattled leader, Bashar al-Assad, the Turkish government has given orders to its military to start military exercises along the country's 550-mile border with Syria.
The exercises will likely coincide with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Hatay, a town on the Syrian border where thousands of Syrian refugees fled this summer, in the coming days.
The military said in a statement on its website Oct. 4 that the maneuvers would take place between Oct. 5 and 13.
The aim of the exercises is to test "the mobilization and the communication between the ministries, public institutions and Turkish army in case of a war," the military statement said.
Erdogan said Oct. 3 that Turkey will consider more sanctions against Syria "since it cannot stand idly by while Damascus shoots demonstrators," - that was the same day the military announced plans to conduct exercises near the Syrian border.
Erdogan said he would lay out Turkey's plans for sanctions against Damascus after he visits Hatay.
Turkey has started partially implementing some sanctions, Erdogan said, who added that it had chosen not to announce them officially.
The plan for more sanctions heralds a further deterioration in previously friendly relations between Ankara and Damascus since the start of Assad's crackdown on protesters. More than 7,500 Syrians have taken refuge in camps established in Hatay, having fled the violence at home.
"What matters for us is the Syrian people. The freedoms [in Syria] are disregarded [by the government]," said Erdogan, saying that Assad was repeating his father Hafez al-Assad's violent campaign against his own people.
Turkey to Hold Military Exercises on Syrian Border - Defense News
As part of its plans to put more pressure on Syria's embattled leader, Bashar al-Assad, the Turkish government has given orders to its military to start military exercises along the country's 550-mile border with Syria.
The exercises will likely coincide with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Hatay, a town on the Syrian border where thousands of Syrian refugees fled this summer, in the coming days.
The military said in a statement on its website Oct. 4 that the maneuvers would take place between Oct. 5 and 13.
The aim of the exercises is to test "the mobilization and the communication between the ministries, public institutions and Turkish army in case of a war," the military statement said.
Erdogan said Oct. 3 that Turkey will consider more sanctions against Syria "since it cannot stand idly by while Damascus shoots demonstrators," - that was the same day the military announced plans to conduct exercises near the Syrian border.
Erdogan said he would lay out Turkey's plans for sanctions against Damascus after he visits Hatay.
Turkey has started partially implementing some sanctions, Erdogan said, who added that it had chosen not to announce them officially.
The plan for more sanctions heralds a further deterioration in previously friendly relations between Ankara and Damascus since the start of Assad's crackdown on protesters. More than 7,500 Syrians have taken refuge in camps established in Hatay, having fled the violence at home.
"What matters for us is the Syrian people. The freedoms [in Syria] are disregarded [by the government]," said Erdogan, saying that Assad was repeating his father Hafez al-Assad's violent campaign against his own people.
Turkey to Hold Military Exercises on Syrian Border - Defense News
