The Turkish battle tanks accompanied by drones and fighters reportedly entered Syria in a major military operation to relocate the tomb of the forefather of the Ottaman empire.
The entire operation was carried out in the cover of the night by the Turkish forces that saw not only relocation of the tomb but also the evacuation of 38 Turkish soldiers, who have been guarding the premises of the building to save it from being destroyed by Isis fighters.
It is reported that a fleet of 100 Turkish military vehicles, along with 39 battle tanks took part in the operation to relocate the tomb that houses the remains of Suleyman Shah, the forefather of the founder of Ottoman Empire.
"Legacy heirlooms of high moral value at the Suleyman Shah Respect Outpost, which is a part of Turkish territory by international agreements, has temporarily moved to the Suriye Esmesi village again within Syrian territory due to security issues and military risks in Syria while reserving all rights," the Turkish military's website says.
The tomb is located inside Syria's Aleppo governorate, about 25 km from the Syria-Turkey border. Though the historical tomb is located inside Syria, it is considered a sovereign Turkish territory.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a news conference that Turkey had not sought permission or assistance for the mission but had informed allies. Photo reports on social media show Turkish forces returning to Turkey early on Sunday morning.
Twitter Image Shows Turkish Tanks inside Kobane-Syria
TSK birliği Şah-Mat operasyonunda #Kobane den geçerken pic.twitter.com/CEa8qapAMQ
— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) February 22, 2015
The military convoy had to pass through Kobane, the Kurdish city that recently was freed from the Isis occupation by local militia.
A Turkish soldier reportedly was killed in the operation.
