Turkey deploys 250 tanks, 55 jets on border with Syria

Turkey bolstered military presence on the border with Syria by deploying 250 tanks and 55 jets of various models on Friday after a Syrian military helicopter bombed the Syrian border town of Azmarin. Local English daily Today's Zaman reported that the tanks were deployed in the provinces of Sanliurfa and Mardin after the government ordered the military's readiness for a possible clash with Syrian forces. Armored vehicles and heavy weapons have been stationed while artillery units were also sent to the region, according to the report. There has been intense fighting between rebels and Syrian government forces this week in Azmarin and neighboring towns. Fighting along Turkey's 910-km border with Syria has repeatedly spilled over into Turkish territory in the past week, with the Turkish army responding in kind to gunfire and mortar shells fired from Syria. Turkish Armed Forces' Chief of General Staff Necdet Ozel said Wednesday his troops would respond "with greater force" if the shells continued to land on Turkish soil.