Military Chief vows 'harsher response' if further Syria shelling

Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Ozel on Wednesday vowed to give a "harsher response" to Syria if shelling from the neighboring country continues to spill over the border, after last week's deadly incident which left five Turks dead in a border town. Ozel, who has been inspecting troops along the border for a couple of days, was on Wednesday in the border town of Akcakale, where a Syrian mortar shell killed five civilians on Oct. 3. Ozel said the Turkish military had instantly launched retaliatory strikes after the Syrian shell hit Akcakale on Oct. 3. "We responded, but if it continues we will respond with greater force," Ozel said. He added that the Syrian military has suffered serious damage from the Turkish strikes. Accompanied by Land Forces Commander Gen. Hayri Kivrikoglu and 2nd Army Commander Gen. Galip Mendi, the military chief arrived in Akcakale early on Wednesday after inspecting troops in other towns along the border with Syria. Ozel also paid a visit to Omer Timucin, whose wife, three children and a relative were killed in the Oct. 3 incident, to offer his condolences. "The pain of one of our citizens is the pain of all of us," Ozel said during the visit. Timucin said a call made to him by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to offer his condolences and Ozel's visit both helped alleviate his pain. Ozel's visit comes during ongoing tension along the Turkish-Syrian border and escalating military strikes between the two countries. The army chief later travelled to the Nusaybin district of the province of Mardin, where he inspected military troops. A state of high tension between Turkey and Syria is continuing as the latter has once again struck on Turkish soil, on the sixth day since the Oct. 3 incident, which wounded at least eight people in addition to killing five. Although Turkey responded to the Syrian aggression with retaliatory artillery fire, no casualties were reported on the Syrian side apart from one injury. The incident represents the most serious cross-border escalation of the 18-month uprising in Syria. Turkey's armed forces have bolstered their presence along the 900-kilometer border with Syria in recent days and have been responding in kind to gunfire and shelling spilling across from the south, where Assad's forces have been battling rebels who control swathes of territory in the region. Last week, after deadly cross-border shelling, Ankara warned Assad that it will respond to each shell or mortar round that hits Turkish soil. Turkey also sent more artillery to hotspots along the troubled border on Monday, Turkish media reported. Gen. Ozel spoke about Turkey's security strategy during an interview with the magazine Savunma ve Havcılık (Defence and Aerospace), which appeared in its latest edition. When asked about how Turkey's geographical location in an unstable region influences the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) understanding of defense, he responded: "Many countries have adopted a strategy which is based on security and risks rather than defense. Terrorism, which knows no boundaries, cyber attacks and intercontinental ballistic missile threats make necessary an understanding of strategic security based on risks and threats not limited to geographical borders for the maintenance of a country's security." With regards to Turkey's counterterrorism efforts against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the army chief said the TSK concentrates its efforts on the protection of the borders and that troops deployed on the borders with Iran, Iraq and Syria work to prevent the infiltration of terrorists into the country. Ozel said the harsh terrain of these border regions and cross-border smuggling activity make it harder for the security forces to combat terrorists. Smuggling is one of most common ways for the residents of Turkey's Southeast to earn a living. Last year, 34 civilians crossing the Iraqi border for smuggling were mistaken for PKK terrorists and killed in military air strikes near Uludere in the province of Sirnak, causing outrage in the country. The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the United States, has been waging a bloody war in the country's Southeast since 1984. Stepping up its violent campaign, the terrorist organization has killed dozens of security officers and civilians in recent months.