Neptune
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Image: Turkish Land Forces troops raise the Turkish Flag in the Ashma region of Syria during this Operation Şah Fırat.
Turkey evacuated its military personnel protecting the Tomb of Süleyman Şah in northern Syria as well as the artifacts in the Süleyman Şah mausoleum by an operation jointly conducted by the intelligence organization and the Turkish army early Feb. 22, few days after reports suggested that the tomb was besieged by the jihadists belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The tomb, around 25 kilometers from the Turkish border, is regarded Turkish territory by international agreements and was protected by some 40 soldiers.
The CNNTürk reported that a soldier was killed due an accident during the operation that was launched late Feb. 21, citing military sources. It reported intense military mobility along the Turkish-Syrian border with Turkish jet fighters seen patrolling in the region.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Land Forces Commander Hulusi Akar and other military officials determined the details of the military operation during a meeting at Turkey's General Staff headquarters in Ankara on Feb. 20, Hürriyet has learned.
During the operation, airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft, fighter jets, military helicopters and drones were on duty as some 50 tanks penetrated the border with support teams from Turkey's Special Forces. Live footage and other data from the field have been followed in the operation room at the General Staff headquarters.
Turkish troops detonated the symbolic building to prevent ISIL militants use it as a base after the evacuation.
Prime Minister Davutoğlu announced in a series of tweets that the artifacts have been "temporarily" brought to Turkey, while Turkish army "took control of an area in the Ashma region of Syria, raising our flag, where Süleyman Şah will later be transferred."
Stressing that there is "an environment of conflict bearing every kind of risks" in Syria, Davutoğlu described the operation, named "Şah Fırat" (Shah Euphrates), as "extremely successful."
The operation came a few days after reports suggested that the ISIL jihadists besieged the tomb and Turkish soldiers protecting the enclave were trapped by the ISIL militants. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had refuted claims in a statement on Feb. 20. Media reports claimed that Turkey was in negotiations with ISIL militants for the release of the Turkish soldiers in exchange for arrested jihadist militants.
The Tomb of Süleyman Şah has always been in the spotlight of the national and international attention as there were fears that it could be targeted by Beshar al-Assad regime or the ISIL forces throughout the four years of Syrian crisis. Turkey made clear to all parties fighting in the Syrian theater that it will protect the Tomb and its soldiers in the enclave in the case of an attack and will retaliate in kind.
Who is Süleyman Şah?
The Suleyman Shah tomb, located 30 kilometers from the Turkish border inside Syria, was made Turkish territory under a treaty signed with France in 1921, when France was the colonial power in Syria. Ankara regards it as sovereign territory and has repeatedly made clear that it will defend the mausoleum if it is attacked.
Suleiman Shah (Süleyman Şah) was a 12th century military leader of the Seljuk Empire, which was among the first Turkish groups to enter and settle in Anatolia. He is the grandfather of Osman the First, who founded the Ottoman Empire in the 13th century, which lasted for six centuries and was inherited by the Turkish Republic following the regime change in 1923 through the War of Liberation.
The tomb was transferred to different locations in 1939 and 1973.
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it's no secret that Turkey is helping ISIS or at the minium turning a blind eye to ISIS crossing it's border for manpower and for weapons.
