By William Tucker
Five Turkish citizens were killed near the border with Syria today prompting a small retaliatory strike from the Turkish military. Turkey’s Prime Minister also contacted the UN and NATO to apprise them both of the situation. NATO reiterated that it will not intervene in Syria; however the alliance stands ready to defend Turkey. At this point it is unknown if the attack on Turkey was deliberate as fighting between Syrian and opposition forces is occurring in close proximity to the border. Turkey is likely using every diplomatic avenue available to it to ensure that any Syrian incidents are formally documented. Should Turkey decide to use military force more broadly in the future to protect its border it will have plenty of evidence supporting its decisions. Turkey has been very cautious in its use of military force in Syria, but the nation may become more aggressive if its citizens continue to die as a result of the neighboring civil war.
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