ANKARA
Chief of Turkish General Staff Gen. Necdet Ozel said Tuesday they tried to stay away from all political movements, and added Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) was the army of the Turkish nation.
Having attended a reception hosted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Ankara to mark the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, Ozel said, "How many citizens we have lost until today. These are the bullets bouncing off from there, and we are retaliating to these bullets regardless of whoever they come from," regarding recent incidents along Turkish-Syrian border.
He stated they were 'retaliating' to these bullets, remarking the mortar fired Monday from Syria, which hit an apartment building in Turkey close to the border and killed a father and injured his daughter in the town of Ceylanpinar.
Ozel said these retaliatings were engagement rules and added they were given ratified to them by the council of ministers.
"We only apply the engagement rules. All we do is legal. We do not commit anything that is illegal," Ozel said.
Upon a question on the claims saying Turkish airplanes bombed the Rasulayn region in Syria after the clashes, Ozel stated that it was a baseless news and was not true.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
