Turkey Attacks Syria For Second Day In A Row

AKCAKALE, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey fired on Syrian targets for a second day Thursday but said it has no intention of declaring war, despite tensions after deadly shelling from Syria killed five civilians in a Turkish border town. The border violence has added a dangerous new dimension to a conflict that is pulling Syria's neighbors deeper into what already resembles a proxy war.

Turkey's Parliament began an emergency session to discuss a bill authorizing the military to launch cross border operations in Syria. If approved, the bill could more easily open the way to unilateral action by Turkey's armed forces inside Syria, without the involvement of its Western and Arab allies. Turkey has had a similar measure in place for years for northern Iraq, where its big guns and jets periodically attack Kurdish militants.

Still, there is a distinction between the prospect of retaliatory strikes by Turkey, most likely in the form of more artillery barrages and possibly even air strikes in the border region, and any decision to send troops into the Syrian maelstrom. Turkish leaders are acutely aware of the risks of open-ended intervention, especially without the support of an international coalition; observers do not expect robust action from the United States ahead of the presidential vote next month.
Iran's support for the Syrian regime, a counter to backing for the opposition from Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other countries, has raised worries about increasing sectarianism and the spread of the conflict.

The cross-border tensions escalated on Wednesday after a shell fired from inside Syria landed on a home in the Turkish village of Akcakale, killing a woman, her three daughters and another woman, and wounding at least 10 others, according to Turkish media. The Syrian mortar shell damaged the door and walls of a house in Akcakale, while shrapnel drilled holes and shattered windows of neighboring houses and shops. Some residents of Akcakale abandoned their homes close to the border and spent the night on the streets. Others gathered outside the local mayor's office, afraid to return to their homes as the dull thud of distant artillery fire rumbled across the town.

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