L
LequteMan
Guest
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at an interview on Turkey’s Halk TV on Friday sent out a warning that neighboring Turkey will pay a "heavy price" for supporting what he referred to as "terrorists" in his country.
Turkey-Syria ties were once close, but have deteriorated since Turkey started supporting rebels in the fight to overthrow Mr. Assad’s government, reports Voice of America.
In the interview, Mr. Assad accused Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of allowing extremists from over 80 countries to cross the border. He said this resulted in the deaths of "tens of thousands" of Syrians.
The comments come after Turkey's parliament extended authorization for troops to be sent to Syria, if necessary. The mandate was originally passed last year after a Syrian mortar shell crossed into Turkey and killed five Turkish citizens.
President Assad's government is currently fighting a divided rebel force that according to analysts is increasingly being infiltrated by Muslim extremists.
Last month, al-Qaida-linked fighters seized the town of Azaz, just five kilometers from the border with Turkey.
