Turkish Tomb In Syria Besieged By ISIL

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has deployed more than 1,000 militants around a sovereign Turkish exclave in Syria, according to Turkish media reports released on Friday.

ISIL has been reinforcing militants around the tomb of Süleyman Şah, the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, for the past three days.

There are now 1,100 ISIL militants surrounding the Süleyman Şah tomb, reports indicate, citing unnamed local sources. Reports also said an attack on the tomb is possible and that ISIL militants might take the 36 Turkish soldiers stationed there hostage.

Reports that the tomb of Süleyman Şah, considered Turkish territory under a 1921 Franco-Turkish agreement, is under threat of attack emerged earlier this year, prompting the government to declare that it would retaliate against any such attack.

The government is currently considering joining a US-led coalition against ISIL. It insists on the creation of a safe zone inside Syria, but the US has not approved the idea, saying it is not part of the campaign at the moment.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)