Border clashes increase Syria-Turkey tensions

Syrian troops are reportedly clashing with rebels near Syria's border with Turkey in what appear to be the first serious violation of the ceasefire introduced just a day ago. It comes as Damascus and Ankara traded accusations and threats of war. The clashes are taking place on the outskirts of the northwestern village of Khirbel el-Joz that borders Turkey, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The group also said the Syrian army deployed tanks in the area before the clash. Damascus’ spat with Ankara over a cross-border raid by Syrian troops reached a new height on Friday, when the Syrian foreign minister Walid Muallem accused Turkey of plotting against his country. Turkey has a strategy to shelter “terrorist groups that enter Syrian territories, attack civilians and destroy the infrastructure,” Muallem said in a letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He said Turkey was harbouring terrorists and turning a blind eye to the attacks they launch across the border to “terrorise civilians at the borders and force them to flee into Turkey so as to create a refugees’ crisis and then request human corridors and a buffer zone be implemented.” The accusations came in response to Turkey accusing Syria of violating its sovereignty by opening fire across the border at a refugee camp. The Monday shootout left two Syrian nationals dead and some two dozen people wounded, including a Turkish aid worker. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened that as a member of NATO Turkey would request military help from other members of the alliance. There are estimated 24,000 Syrian refugees living in camps in Turkey. Some observers say the camps are used by many armed opposition members to take rest, receive medical treatment and re-arm before returning to Syria to fight against the government.