Turkey faces threat from Syria militants

Turkey faces a potential security threat from the very same militants it has been propping up in Syria, as they may rise up against Ankara itself given the Turkish demographic situation, a political analyst tells Press TV.

“Turkey had a lot of political and demographic problems. And now Turkey is facing the risk and the threat of the insurgents, which were provided weapons and encouraged and supported by the Turkish government,” said Hisham Jaber, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies, in a Friday interview with Press TV.

He pointed to the security challenges that Turkey may face and noted that if Syria disintegrates as a result of the existing crisis, Turkish territory is the next in line to be fragmented due to its demographic specifications.

On September 23, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said his country is not able to prevent the infiltration of militants from neighboring Syria into its territory despite tight security measures along the border.

On Friday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned that Turkey will “pay very dearly” for fanning the flames of violence in Syria by supporting the extremist groups in the Arab country, saying, “In the near future these terrorists will have an impact on Turkey.”

The Syrian president also accused Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of lying about the situation in the Syria. “All that he says about Syria and its people is a heap of lies, that is all… Erdogan is doing nothing but supporting the terrorists.”

Turkey has been a key supporter of the militants operating inside Syria since the outbreak of unrest in the country in March 2011.

On Thursday, the Turkish parliament extended by another year a mandate authorizing the deployment of troops to Syria if the need arises.