Turkey Diverts Syrian Plane to Ankara

 

Turkish state media says the passenger aircraft was suspected of carrying heavy weapons to Damascus.

Fighter jets intercepted the plane as it entered Turkish airspace and escorted it to the capital's Esenboga Airport

Turkish state-run TV station TRT reports that Turkey has forced a Syrian passenger aircraft to land at Ankara airport. TRT says the Airbus A320 coming from Moscow was intercepted by fighter jets on Wednesday as it entered Turkish airspace and escorted it to the capital's Esenboga Airport. The station reported that the aircraft, carrying 35 passengers, was suspected of carrying heavy weapons to Damascus. A Turkish foreign ministry official confirmed that a Syrian plane was forced to land at Ankara airport, and that authorities were "inspecting the plane" but would not provide further information. Turkey's civil aviation authority banned Turkish civilian aircraft from using Syrian airspace citing insecurity in its southern neighbour, TRT said. Tensions between Turkey and Syria are running high. Turkey's armed forces have bolstered their presence along the 900-km border and have been firing back over the past week in response to gunfire and shelling coming across from northern Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad's forces have been battling rebels who control swathes of territory.

Posted By: Maximilian Castelli
Source: AlJazeera