The saga of the Turkish army special forces detachment guarding the Tomb of Suleiman Shah in Syria ended in the early hours of Feb. 22, when the forces were evacuated by a Turkish army task force that entered Syria overnight.
Turkey woke up to the exciting news when Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, accompanied by Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Ozel and Minister of Defense Ismet Yilmaz, announced the operation, saying that with increased clashes in the vicinity of the tomb and the growing threat of the Islamic State (IS), Turkey had to take measures recognized by international law.