ANKARA
The motion on Iraq and Syria, submitted late Tuesday by the Turkish government to parliament late Tuesday, seeks to ward off possible attacks against Turkey by all terrorist groups in the two conflict-ridden countries of Iraq and Syria, said the Turkish Prime Ministry.
"There has been a serious increase of risks and threats along Turkey's southern land borders, threatening our national security, due to recent developments in the region," reads the justification for the motion, signed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
The Turkish government has submitted earlier on Tuesday an inclusive motion to parliament to expand authorization for the government and the armed forces to act against recent security threats from Iraq and Syria, as Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc announced following a Council of Ministers' meeting on Tuesday.
The motive for the motion specifically cites the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime and increasing security risks against Suleyman Sah Guard, a Turkish enclave, near Aleppo in Syria, guaranteed by a 1921 treaty inked with France. Therein lies the tomb of late 12th century Turkish leader Suleyman Sah.
"The terrorists elements of the armed [Kurdistan Worker's Party] PKK still exists in northern Iraq. On the other hand, the significant increase in the number of other terrorist elements in Syria and the threat posed by them in Iraq is also alarming," says the motion, referring to ISIL.
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, which seized vast territories, both in Syria and Iraq, since early June, has become a growing threat for the whole region, and recently along the Turkish border.
If ratified by the parliament, the motion will authorize the Turkish government to take immediate action against any group threatening the country.
The motion also includes a mandate for the government to send Turkish Armed Forces to foreign countries, for instance Iraq or Syria, if necessary. The motion is to last for a period of one year.
The Turkish parliament will discuss the motion, giving authority to the government and the armed forces to act accordingly to threats from Syria and Iraq, during a special session on Thursday.
ISIL militants, who otherwise control large parts of territory in Syria and Iraq, have been attacking the border town of Kobani from all directions, causing more than 160,000 people, mostly Syrian Kurds, to cross into Turkey in the past ten days.
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