President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Turkish army has taken control of Syrian territory 200 meters from the border in the Eshme region. The seized site will provide the location for the tomb of Suleiman Shah, grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire Osman I, which has been controlled for the past 11 months by militants of Islamic State.
"The remains of Suleiman Shah, evacuated by our military, will be transported to the Eshme region 200 meters from the border, which is where the Turkish flag is now raised. The tomb has changed location twice. Now we have raised the flag and continue to honor the memory of our ancestors, in accordance with international law," TASS quotes the president.
The transfer of the shrine, according to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who, along with Erdogan and military commanders, followed the course of the operation the previous night, "does not mean any change in the agreement on the status" of the tomb as an enclave of Turkey in Syria. The Foreign Ministry made a similar statement on Sunday, stressing that the change in location of the mausoleum was "taken for security reasons."
At night, according to Davutoglu, there were two military operations. Both operations were performed without complications, but the Turkish General Staff kept military units ready, in case of the need "to give a harsh response to any threat." Davutoglu said that "there are no civilian casualities, but as a result of an incident during the evacuation one Turkish soldier died." Coalition forces, he said, were informed about the beginning of the military operations in Syria, while Ankara did not ask permission or assistance.
It should be noted that the tomb of Suleiman Shah is under the jurisdiction of Turkey in accordance with an agreement concluded in 1921 with France, of which Syria was a colony at the time. Ankara has repeatedly stated that the shrine is considered to be an enclave of the Turkish Republic, and this status remains unchanged under existing international and bilateral agreements. If the mausoleum is attacked, Ankara promises to take harsh measures. In order to answer to the possible threat from Islamic State, to enhance the security of the building two platoons of tge Special Forces were sent there in the fall of last year.
