Army denies capture of Turkish General in Syria

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

The Office of the Chief of General Staff has dismissed claims that Turkish officers were captured in Syria. “The news item is incorrect,” the statement said.

A report originating from Iran had claimed that a Turkish general had been monitoring the activities of Syrian opposition militants when captured. Iranian newspaper Rudaw claimed three days ago that a Turkish general had been captured in Aleppo and that he was in Damascus for interrogation. The report claimed that the general had been organizing Turkey’s military operation in the region. “We arrested some officers that crossed the border,” the report said.

Iranian Fars news agency had also claimed recently that a general monitoring Syrian opposition militants was captured in Aleppo. The agency stated that the “Turkish general” claim had been made by the Syrian army. The previous claims were dismissed by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry said, “Such news items do not reflect reality.”