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Turkey evacuates troops from Suleyman Shah tomb

Xinhua, February 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

Turkey launched a military operation into Syria on Sunday to evacuate some 40 soldiers guarding the Tomb of Suleyman Shah, grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, local NTV news channel reported.

One Turkish soldier was killed during the operation, according to the report.

Turkish troops had been besieged by Jihadist fighters at the Tomb of Suleyman Shah, an exclave of Turkey in Syria around 25 km from the Turkish border, as the venue is located among villages controlled by the Islamic State (IS) militants.

Turkish media reported earlier that the government was in negotiations with IS militants for the release of the Turkish soldiers who were trapped at the tomb for months. Endi