Turkey relocates tomb in Syria to minimize national, regional threats

Turkey conducted a successful two-pronged operation late on Saturday to move the Tomb of Süleyman Shah and relocate it to another location in northern Syria nearer to the Turkish border in the village of Ashmeh. The relocation of the tomb, which is the only exclave Turkey has, was a bid to minimize the dangers posed by clashes and tensions in the region. While many consider Turkey's choice of relocation to have tighter security controls than the previous location, some experts have pointed to a change of atmosphere with Syrian Kurds that will have a positive impact on Turkey's reconciliation process. The circle of fire that surrounded the exclave and heated clashes that were taking place near the tomb combined with reported intelligence of a possible Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) attack on the tomb prompted the government to take the preventative measure of relocating it and withdrawing the soldiers who were guarding the territory.

The location of the tomb was becoming increasingly critical as a result of the threat from ISIS whose continued presence in the region raised questions over whether or not the tomb could be relocated. The Turkish military crossed the Syrian border late on Saturday with 572 troops, 39 tanks and over 150 other vehicles. They succeeded in simultaneously relocating the remains from the original site and securing another location in Syria closer to the Turkish border in Ashmeh. Prior to its departure from Turkey, the military convoy made the necessary warnings to people in the region about its passage from the Syrian territory to reach the Turkish exclave.

As construction of the new tomb gathers pace in Ashmeh, the strategic significance of the town has begun instigating hot debate. The town, which is roughly half a kilometer from the Turkish border, is currently under the control of the People's Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD). This has brought allegations of whether the operation was conducted with the assistance and collaboration of the PYD, which Turkey stigmatizes as a terrorist organization since they are considered the Syrian arm of the PKK. The allegations were denied by both government officials and presidential sources.

Kurdish politics expert and columnist Kurtuluş Tayiz, speaking to Daily Sabah, said it was unlikely that Turkey cooperated with the YPG and that the reasoning behind the choice of the new location is solely Turkey's aim to have easier control of the tomb.

The operation was conducted successfully with no clashes. The ability to cross the territory without engaging in any fights is believed to stem from Turkey's familiarity with the region and its competence in effectively using local dynamics. "Turkey has been pursuing the reconciliation process to end the conflict with the PKK. The Kurdish fighters in the region could not face the risk of confronting Turkish troops. That must be the reason why the operation did not involve any clashes. The reconciliation process protects Turkey from assaults from these groups."

Vahdettin İnce, a Kurdish intellectual and author, has said there is a possibility that "unofficial and indirect assistance" could have taken place during the operation. "It could have been like a jest from the YPG forces as Turkey contributed to the fighting in Kobani against ISIS militants by putting peshmerga forces into force. There does not need to be an official request from Turkey for aid from the Kurds in the region."

Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalın said on Monday that Turkey did not coordinate with or contact the YPG during its recent military operation in Syria to retrieve the remains of Süleyman Shah.

"Our allies and the Syrian regime were notified of the operation. However, there has not been any contact or coordination with ISIS, the YPG, or the U.S.," Kalın said at a press briefing. "We consider the PYD a terrorist organization," Kalın stressed.