Video shows & narrates FSA operation started FROM Turkish territory

Erdogan Lost His Marbles

Is the Turkish premier Erdogan going insane?

Speaking to reporters travelling with him during his official visit to China, Erdoğan said Turkey may consider invoking NATO's fifth article to protect Turkish national security in the face of increasing tension along the Syrian border. His comments came after four Syrians who fled to Turkey from the violence in Syria were killed by Syrian forces targeting refugees on the Turkish side of the border on Monday. “NATO has a responsibility to protect Turkish borders,” said Erdoğan, signaling that Turkey may officially ask NATO members to apply Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which says that an attack on any member shall be considered to be an attack on all, if the situation in Syria becomes a serious enough threat to Turkish national security.

Does he really believe NATO would sign up to article 5 action because a few shots were fired towards Turkish land after Syrian rebels, coming from Turkey, attacked Syrian government positions?

The AP reported on that shooting:

The soldiers were believed to be firing at rebels who tried to escape to the refugee camp after ambushing a Syrian military checkpoint, killing six soldiers, according to the Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

That ominous Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is on the side of the rebels. So even they admit that the shooting by the Syrian soldiers was defensive and in response to an attack by the foreign paid rebels.

The local Turkish governor confirmed this:

Kilis Gov. Yusuf Odabaş said the injuries were caused by bullets from clashes on the other side of the border, which erupted when opposition groups attempted to seize control of the border crossing from regime forces. Turkish security forces in no way intervened or used arms, he said. Twenty-one Syrians wounded in the clashes managed to cross into Turkey through a mine-ridden stretch of land. Three died in hospital and another two in critical condition have been transferred to a hospital in the adjacent province of Gaziantep, Odabaş said.

Pepe Escobar points out that there is even a video that confirms that the rebels attacked from Turkey:

The voice over says, "This is the Syria-Turkey border, and this is an operation of the Free Syrian Army [FSA] ... The Gate [that would be the Syrian side of the border, housing the Gate checkpoint] is going to be seized."



If Erdogan really believes that 28 NATO countries will agree against all evidence to his version of the story and involve article 5 he has really lost his marbles.

Some in his own country seem to believe that is the case. To me Erdogan's earlier policies seemed to be more rational. Did he change his behavior after he was diagnosed with cancer?

Sightly related: These two videos seem pretty clear cut in debunking some rebel claims video 1 video 2

Posted by b on April 11, 2012 at 02:06 PM

Erdogan: “NATO has a responsibility to protect Turkish borders,”

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
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