The AP reports that Turkey will ask NATO to recognize Syria’s recent downing of its unarmed military aircraft as an attack on the entire alliance. The announcment, coming from Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, comes one day before Turkey will hold an extraordinary meeting with the rest of the NATO members. Arinc said that while Turkey retained its right to “retaliate,” he also said, “We have no intention of going at war with anyone.”
Turkey earlier announced that Syria had fired at one of its search-and-rescue vehicles, but that the plane had escaped safely. Arinc also admitted that the downed jet had accidentally strayed into Syrian airspace but that it had received no warnings from the Syrian government before being shot down. The jet’s two pilots are still missing.
