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Turkey jets expel Syrian helicopters near border

02 July 2012 17:34 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Two Turkish F-16 fighter jets scrambled three times to expel Syrian helicopters flying near the Turkish border, Turkish General Staff said on Monday in a written statement on its website,APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Turkish warplanes were taking off on emergency thrice on Saturday when Syrian helicopters came too close to the Turkish airspace over the Adana-Hatay-Kilis area and having a patrol flight, said the statement.

The move came after the Turkish Army altered its rules of engagement regarding Syrian military targets after the downing of a Turkish jet by Syria on June 22.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) updated its rules last Tuesday that every military element approaching towards Turkish border from Syria that may pose a security risk and danger will be considered a threat and a military target to be responded.

The helicopters were identified as type MI-8 and MI-17 Russian- made assault transport helicopters, said the statement. Both models could be used as transport helicopters or could be fitted with weaponry to act as a gunship.

After the downing of Turkish fighter jet, "Syria has become a clear and present danger for Turkey," Erdogan said last Tuesday.

With the second biggest army in NATO, Turkey has been one of the current Syrian administration’s most ardent critics over Syria ’s crackdown on protestors during its 15-month unrest. Erdogan, previously a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has repeatedly called in recent months for the Syrian leader to step down.