On Sunday Hurriyet Daily News reported that the Turkish Army evacuated all the soldiers guarding the Tomb of Suleyman Shah in the country's exclave in Northern Syria over security concerns. It was reported earlier that the tomb was besieged by the Islamic State (ISIL) Sunni extremist group, but the Turkish Army faced no resistance from any militant groups active in the area.
"It should be noted that according to the relevant international conventions such action qualifies as an invasion to the other country's territory," Khaled Abboud said.
"The fact that the Turkish forces backed by armored vehicles managed to evacuate a small garrison guarding the Tomb of Suleyman Shah from Syria shows us that the Turkish government is involved in this conflict," Abboud added.
The 1921 Treaty of Ankara between Turkey and France recognized the tomb and a small area around it is a sovereign enclave of Turkey. In March 2014, the territories around the tomb fell under the control of ISIL militants.
Syria has been engulfed in a bloody civil war since 2011 with the country's army currently fighting against numerous rebel and terrorist groups.
