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BBC News - Turkey enters Syria to evacuate Suleyman Shah tomb
Hundreds of Turkish troops in armoured vehicles have entered northern Syria and evacuated a historic Ottoman tomb and the soldiers guarding it.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the remains of Suleyman Shah would be moved elsewhere in Syria.
He said troops had destroyed the tomb, apparently to prevent it from being used by Islamic State (IS) militants.
Turkey considers the shrine sovereign territory, but Syria condemned the incursion as "flagrant aggression".
Interestingly, they didn't bother to seek permission from Assad.
In a statement read out on state TV, Syria said Turkey had informed its Istanbul consulate about the operation, but had not awaited Syria's agreement.
He said the remains had been moved to Turkey but would soon be rehoused in an area of Syria under Turkish military control, closer to the Turkish border.
The Turkish flag had already been raised over the site, the PM said.
There were no clashes with IS during the operation, but one soldier died in an accident, he added.
The operation began on Saturday at about 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) and ended on Sunday morning.
A large convoy, including 600 troops and about 100 tanks and armoured vehicles, passed through Kobane - the city which Syrian Kurdish fighters retook last month from IS - and travelled some 35km (20 miles) south to the tomb on the banks of the Euphrates river.
Hundreds of Turkish troops in armoured vehicles have entered northern Syria and evacuated a historic Ottoman tomb and the soldiers guarding it.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the remains of Suleyman Shah would be moved elsewhere in Syria.
He said troops had destroyed the tomb, apparently to prevent it from being used by Islamic State (IS) militants.
Turkey considers the shrine sovereign territory, but Syria condemned the incursion as "flagrant aggression".
Interestingly, they didn't bother to seek permission from Assad.
In a statement read out on state TV, Syria said Turkey had informed its Istanbul consulate about the operation, but had not awaited Syria's agreement.
He said the remains had been moved to Turkey but would soon be rehoused in an area of Syria under Turkish military control, closer to the Turkish border.
The Turkish flag had already been raised over the site, the PM said.
There were no clashes with IS during the operation, but one soldier died in an accident, he added.
The operation began on Saturday at about 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) and ended on Sunday morning.
A large convoy, including 600 troops and about 100 tanks and armoured vehicles, passed through Kobane - the city which Syrian Kurdish fighters retook last month from IS - and travelled some 35km (20 miles) south to the tomb on the banks of the Euphrates river.
