Turkey to Hold Military Exercises Near Syria
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey's military says it will conduct exercises near the border with Syria, where thousands have died following a government crackdown on protesters.
The military said in a statement on its website Tuesday that the maneuvers will take place in the southern province of Hatay, between Oct. 5-13.
The exercises are likely to coincide with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan planned visit to a nearby area where some 7,500 Syrians have sought refuge from Syrian President Bashar Assad's brutal crackdown
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Turkey has already imposed an arms embargo on Syria and Erdogan is expected to announce new sanctions on its neighbor while in Hatay.
Erdogan had cultivated a close friendship with Assad. But Turkey has grown increasingly frustrated with Damascus over its refusal to halt the attacks.