Turkish gendarmerie search trucks near Syrian border

ADANA

AA Photo

Gendarmerie teams stopped three trucks in the southern province of Adana on Jan. 19 following a tip-off that they were carrying weapons and ammunition.

Adana Governor Office has released a statement, saying that the personnel in the trucks were members of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT), who were on a regular duty.

The trucks left after the search, the statement added.

Security teams have seized weapons in the trucks, according to daily Radikal.

The trucks were stopped at the Ceyhan toll booth, on the main road between the provinces of Adana and Gaziantep.

Later in the day, the number of the trucks that were stopped by the securty teams went to seven, reports said. 

Security measures were reportedly taken against the possibility of an explosion during the operation, with jammers dispatched to the scene.

Police have detained at least two reporters, who took photographs of the trucks, Doğan News Agency said.

Earlier this month, Hatay Gov. Celalettin Lekesiz blocked the official search of a truck arguing that the cargo was state secret. The truck continued on its route after the prosecutor noted the development.
The government later announced that the truck was carrying aid to the Turkmens in Syria.

“There are Turkmens [in Syria]. The aid is for them. Everybody has to know one’s own job,” Interior Minister Efkan Ala said, without giving any detail on the content of the aid.

Security officers who stopped the truck were later removed from their positions.