After months of siege by Islamic State extremists, Turkey early Sunday sent an armored column into Syria to evacuate troops who had been guarding the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire.
The government announced that nearly 600 soldiers were deployed to the site on the Euphrates river late Saturday, traveling in more than 100 tanks and armored personnel carriers and aided by airborne early warning and control aircraft, military helicopters and drones.
The troops removed Suleyman Shah’s sarcophagus, then destroyed the mausoleum. Turkey said it would build a new mausoleum for Suleyman Shah’s remains in the Ashma region, close to the Turkish border.
The operation ended what in effect was a long-running hostage crisis that began when Islamic State forces captured the area surrounding the enclave about a year ago. About 48 Turkish soldiers were stationed in six-month shifts at the mausoleum, but for the past eight months, it had been impossible to relieve them safely, the government said.
“The ongoing conflict and state of chaos in Syria posed serious risks to the safety and the security of the tomb, and to the Turkish Armed Forces personnel valiantly guarding it,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Islamic State group’s control also had geopolitical implications.
The presence of the Turkish troops at the tomb was “an insurance policy” for the Islamic State, and the extremists could use the tomb “to stage provocations,” an official said on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Left unsaid was that removing the troops may allow Turkey to take a more active role in the U.S.-led battle against the Islamic State, if the Turkish government so decides. Last week, Turkey and the United States signed a memo of understanding for the joint training of Syrian forces to counter the Islamic State.
Under the terms of a treaty signed in 1921 that broke up the Ottoman empire, Turkey was given sovereignty over the tomb in what became Syrian territory. Prime Minister Ahmet Davituoglu said the tomb would be returned to its former location once conditions allow.
One Turkish soldier died in an accident during the evacuation. There was no report of fighting.
A Turkish television reporter said Turkish armored vehicles had to take detours off the road, apparently because it had been mined. Turkish officials said Islamic State militants gathered near the tomb as the operation began and “shouted slogans” but otherwise did not contest it.
Turkey informed the Syrian government in advance of the operation but proceeded without permission. Syria denounced the incursion as an act of “flagrant aggression.”
Turkey also informed the Islamic State in advance, though it was not clear how.
Both the Islamic State and the local Kurdish militia, which also was given advance warning, asked for 24 hours to formulate plans, but the Turks moved without delay. The U.S.-led coalition also was told in advance of the plan.
Turkish forces traveled into Syria via Kobani, the Kurdish town in northern Syria that had been under siege by Islamic State until it was recently freed by local Kurdish forces with help from U.S.-led airstrikes. and support from peshmerga fighters from northern Iraq and Syrian rebel fighters.
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