Turkey will soon return to its former exclave

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated on Sunday that Turkey will never abandon the exclave it has in Syria saying, "This is our land, and we will return." With operation 'Shah Euphrates' launched by the Turkish Armed Forces on late Saturday to evacuate soldiers guarding the mausoleum of Suleyman Shah, grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire FM Çavuşoğlu made sure no one will take Turkey lightly in this matter.

The foreign minister also added that the operation has been received with great admiration and respect from the outside world for taking control of the matter while 'one person's nose did not even bleed.'

The operation was carried out some 30 kilometers (18 miles) inside Syrian territory, in an area controlled by Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) militants who have seized swathes of Iraq and Syria.

Reports last week said that a Turkish military column had entered northern Syria to relieve the garrison guarding the tomb near the town of Kobani.

Some 40 Turkish troops were guarding the tomb which sits in Syria's embattled Aleppo province and is considered Turkish territory.

There has been considerable concern in Turkey in recent months over the well-being of the troops guarding the tomb although the government has always kept silent about their status.

Ankara had repeatedly warned of military reprisals if the troops guarding the tomb were ever hurt.

Known as the "Turkish Tomb," the tomb and its outpost have been relocated twice in 1939 and 1975, while the Syrian regime had proposed to relocate it in 1995 and 2001.



The first relocation took place in 1939 due to security and restoration concerns.

The tomb was relocated from Jabar Fortress into its current position in 1975 as the fortress stood within the flooding area of Tabqa Dam built near current ISIS-headquarters of Raqqa.

In 1995 and 2001 the Syrian regime had suggested the relocation of the tomb due to the construction of a dam, which threatened flooding near the tomb. The Turkish government has refused to relocate the tomb and both sides have reached an agreement in January 23, 2003.