Turkish officers charged for blocking Syria arms shipment
Turkish officers charged for blocking Syria arms shipment –
Turkish judicial authorities have charged 13 security forces personnel for blocking seven truck-loads of weaponry bound to armed insurgent groups in Syria.
The indicted security personnel are to be tried soon in Adana Court while state prosecutors have called for life imprisonment for the military officers since they are accused of revealing “a state secret” for political and espionage objectives, Syrian state news agency SANA reported Thursday.
According to the report, the Turkish gendarme personnel inspected seven trucks laden with weapons in Adana city near the Syrian border after receiving information that the trucks were transporting weapons and ammunition to foreign-backed insurgent groups inside Syria.
Shortly afterwards, the report says, the officers were relieved of their duties.
The incident coincided with a corruption scandal targeting Turkish Prime Minister Reccep Tayyip Erdogan in December 2013. Erdogan launched a wide-scale purging process in the judiciary and police ranks, claiming that a “foreign conspiracy” was targeting his government.
Meanwhile, Turkish Tag Khabar website has further unveiled that Erdogan’s government continues to provide logistical support to extremist insurgent groups inside Syria.