Special to WorldTribune.com

ANKARA — Turkey’s military has been on alert to possibly intervene in neighboring Syria.

Turkish sources said the Army was mobilizing for combat operations in northern Syria amid intense Al Qaida fighting near the border.

In 2013, the Turkish intelligence community was said to have coordinated the flow of fighters and weapons for the Sunni revolt in Syria. The United States asserted that Al Qaida used Turkey as a way station from Iran to Syria.

The sources said the military was monitoring a range of Al Qaida militias, particularly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

“The fighting is coming very close to the Turkish border, and this cannot be tolerated,” a source said.

The sources said Turkey has identified its interests in northern Syria. They said this included the tomb of Suleiman Shah, located in the Syrian province of Aleppo.

“We consider the tomb as Turkish territory,” the source said.

Turkish options in northern Syria were said to have included air and
artillery strikes. The sources said the army was concerned over ISIL’s
offensive near the Turkish border, which included the capture of Karakozak.

  Aleppo, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, monitors Al Qaida militias near border with Syria, tomb of Suleiman Shah, Turkey mobilizes troops near border with Syria