WAR DANGER! NATO Member Turkey Strikes Syria

INTERNATIONAL ACTION CENTER STATEMENT ON THE BORDER STRIKE BY TURKEY ON SYRIA

STOP NATO WAR ON SYRIA !

NATO-member Turkey has used alleged mortar fire from Syria as a pretext to launch artillery fire across the border, killing Syrian soldiers, and to prepare military intervention. NATO -- an alliance mainly of the former colonial overlords of the world and the current biggest imperialist powers -- immediately supported Turkey's aggression. The British and German governments, the European Union and the U.S. all criticized the Syrian government and sympathized with Turkey. The Turkish Parliament has approved further attacks.

The Syrian government, following news that the mortar fire had killed five people in Turkey, immediately promised to investigate what happened and has not tried to retaliate for the Turkish shelling. No one knows even if the mortar fire came from the Syrian army or from its enemies in the insurgency. Or if anti-government "insurgent" forces fired on Syria from the Turkish border town, which has been used as a staging area by these reactionary forces.

While there is a flurry of diplomatic moves in the United Nations, there is no doubt that this latest aggression by NATO-backed Turkey can be the opening move to direct military intervention from the imperialist powers. This is something that NATO is looking for. The imperialists have fomented, armed and financed the armed insurgency in Syria. They have supported the most reactionary sectarian forces in an attempt to weaken the Syrian government and bring turmoil to the country. But it's not working.

The U.S. and its NATO allies have attempted to win Security Council backing for military intervention. They had gotten such backing last year regarding Libya before they destroyed that country. So far Russian and China have refused to allow NATO to use the U.N. to cover up aggression.

According to a report in the Oct. 4 New York Times, the anti-Syria insurgency has begun to stall. The armed opposition's "commanders have given up trying to entice defectors [from the Syrian army], and others have resorted to more desperate measures: cajoling, duping, threatening and even drugging and kidnapping military men to get them to change sides, or at least stay out of the fight."

There is good reason for the insurgency to lose political steam. Even many forces inside Syria that are not supporters of the government see the so-called Free Syrian Army -- whose troops contain many mercenaries or sectarian fighters from other countries -- as a threat to the very existence of Syria as a unified and independent state.

The lesson of this latest event for the anti-war movement and the people of the U.S. is clear. Stay alert! 

Be prepared for a new series of lies about Syria. Be prepared for a new attack from NATO member Turkey on its neighbor, Syria.

Bring this message to the anti-war actions taking place Oct. 5-7 across North America.