Crossing the Euphrates, Darah Qawzak bridge. Every inch of Syria returning to Syria. This area that we drove through had, at one time, been under control of ISIS.

In early 2015, unhindered by ISIS, Turkey removed the tomb of Shah Suleyman from this area to a new site in Syria close to the border with Turkey, west of Ayn Al Arab (Kobane). The Turkish government claimed the relocation was temporary. 40 Turkish soldiers were evacuated at the same time.   

Journalist, Brandon Turbeville wrote about this Turkish incursion at the time:

“Turkey has now officially proven that Israel and the United States are not the only nations that can brazenly violate the sovereignty of other countries, Syria in particular, without fear of reprisal due to NATO support and a blatant culture of aggression.

The Turkish invasion of Syrian soil on February 22 under the guise of protecting and securing the tomb of Sulayman Shah is case in point.

The tomb is largely recognized as a Turkish exclave since the early 1920s when, in 1921, it was agreed in the Treaty of Ankara that the Turks would be allowed to raise the Turkish flag over the tomb and place a small number of Turkish guards around the mausoleum given that Sulayman Shah bears such significance to Turkish history. The tomb is located about 23 miles from Turkey itself and thus is located inside Syrian territory.”

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