Turkey exchanges fire with Syria again

(CBS News) ISTANBUL- For a fourth straight day, Syria and Turkey traded fire Saturday, it's the latest sign Syria's civil war is now expanding into a threat to regional security.

Syria's civil war is spilling over its borders. On Saturday, the Turkish village of Guvecci was hit by two mortar shells.

Nobody was hurt and it's thought the shells were lobbed into Turkey by mistake, during fighting between Syrian rebels and regime forces.

But the Turkish military returned fire -- for the fourth day in a row.

Turkey has openly sided with the rebels in Syria's conflict, though so far it hasn't intervened directly.

Now some fear that border skirmishes between the two countries could escalate into a regional war.

On Wednesday, a mortar bomb fired from Syria killed five civilians in a Turkish border town, including a mother and her three children.

In response, the Turkish Parliament voted to approve the use of force against Syria if it's deemed necessary.

On Saturday, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister described that decision as a warning. "We have to protect our sovereignty, our security and the lives of our people," he said.

In the Syrian capital of Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad made a rare public appearance, laying a wreath to mark the anniversary of the 1973 war against Israel.

President Assad's regime is fighting for its survival, and it's unlikely that he wants to antagonize a powerful neighbor like Turkey.

But the bloody chaos that's already cost thousands of lives inside Syria now threatens to entangle other countries -- even if they don't really want to fight.

[lifeduringwartime]

Simple, Get our troops out and break out the bio weapons. May sound a tad bit harsh but believe me, it would be for the best, I never lie.

[bones_1]

This may well be the match which ignites the ME. And, if so, Syria is heavily armed with biowarfare weaponry and Turkey is a key NATO member (one in, all in). While Turkey doesn't want war, most wars have started between combatants who never wanted that particular war.

[fiddlestickawshucks]

TO: NATO and the Arab League

This is what happens when you sit back and allow an evil maniac to slaughter more than 100,000 of his own people.

The more Assad is allowed to get away with; the more his demented mind thinks he can get away with.

NATO should tell Russia and China to stuff it while reminding them that the blood of every slaughtered Syrian is on their hands.

For whatever reason (and Im beginning to think it's a lack of common sense, intelligence and cowardice) Nato, the US and the Arab League; after more than a year of effort; still do not get the message when it comes to Assad.

Assad is no different than Saddam Hussein.!!

Violence and annihilation of those who do not agree with them is the only thing they understand.!!

GB2 told Hussein repeatedly "If you don't stop it; we're coming over there".

Well; we all know where that got us.!

More than 9 years of war, thousands of American troops killed, hundreds of thousands maimed and wounded and hundreds of millions of dollars the government continueg to be poured into that rathole even after Hussein was captured.

Afghanistan is no different.!!

More than ten years, more than 2,000 killed, multiple billions of American taxpayer's dollars (which we have to borrow), and now Karzai is whining because American troops are not chasing insurgents into Pakistan and that the US is not giving them enough weapons.

Karzai has been getting millions and weapons from Iran for years.

Let him whine to them.!

To make life for our troops in Afghanistan even more interesting; now Afghan police and soldiers are slaughtering our troops on their own bases.

I am beginning to doubt that anything even slightly resembling intelligence, common sense; and for that matter "brains" is rattling around in the heads of the "leaders" of the United States.

To add more fuel to the fire, Americans have to deal with multiple crises here in the US thanks to our President and the worst Congress in history.!!

DISGUSTING.!!!

[kroguej]

"Russia and China to stuff it while reminding them that the blood of every slaughtered Syrian is on their hands"

Your are thinking of US and European politics, Russia and China don't worry so much about human rights.