President: Turkey does not want waging war with Syria

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 20 / Trend R. Hafizoglu / Turkey does not want waging war with Syria, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Friday, TRT Haber TV channel reported. According to him, Turkey's main task is to protect its borders against any aggression. Gul added that the unresolved Syrian crisis led to the fact that radical extremist groups infiltrated in Syria. "Ankara understands the danger of terror and we are against any terrorist activity in Syria," Gul added. On September 16, Turkish Air Force aircrafts shot down a Syrian helicopter which violated the country's airspace. The MI-17 type helicopter over the border was shot down by missiles from an aircraft which took off at 14:25 from a military base in Malatya. Clashes between government forces and the armed opposition have been continuing in Syria for over two years. According to UN statistics, the total number of victims killed in the conflict is more than 100,000. Syrian authorities say they are opposed by well-armed militants. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az