SYRIA ACCUSES TURKEY OF BACKING TERRORISM, OPENING BORDERS TO AL-QAEDA
PanARMENIAN.Net
August 2, 2012 – 21:01 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Syria accused Turkey on Thursday, August 2 of playing
a “fundamental role” in supporting terrorism by opening its airport
and border to al Qaeda and other jihadists to carry out attacks inside
Syria, Reuters said.
Once close allies, the two countries’ relationship quickly deteriorated
as President Bashar al-Assad intensified a crackdown in a 17-month-old
uprising against his rule.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has called on Assad to leave
and Ankara has set up a sprawling refugee camp along the border which
houses thousands of Syrian refugees.
Several military officers have defected to Turkey and the nominal
commander of the Free Syrian Army, a loosely coordinated group of
insurgents fighting Assad’s forces, is also based there.
“The Turkish government plays a fundamental role in supporting
terrorism by opening its airport and borders to host al Qaeda elements,
jihadists and salafists,” Syria’s foreign ministry said in a statement
circulated on state television.
“The Turkish government has set up on its soil military offices where
Israeli, American, Qatari and Saudi intelligence agencies direct the
terrorists in their war on the Syrian people,” the statement said.
Damascus also accused France and the United States of sending rebels
communications equipment. U.S. sources have said President Barack Obama
signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to
depose Assad.
Gulf sources told Reuters that Turkey had set up a secret base
with allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct vital military and
communications aid to Syria’s rebels from the city of Adana near
the border.
The statement said Turkey had used the camps as “military bases”
for terrorists who then headed to Syria to commit crimes.
A Turkish foreign ministry spokesman said: “It is not the first
unsupported claim coming from Syria. These speculative claims are
not reflecting the truth.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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