---
title: "Kerry Speaks To Turkish Fm On Syria Tomb Operation"
date: "2015-02-23 11:19:02"
author: "DHA"
tags: "İstanbul"
canonical_url: "https://www.mynet.com/kerry-speaks-to-turkish-fm-on-syria-tomb-operation-180101698534"
original_url: "https://www.mynet.com/kerry-speaks-to-turkish-fm-on-syria-tomb-operation-180101698534"
---
# Kerry Speaks To Turkish Fm On Syria Tomb Operation
\- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has spoken to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to discuss Turkey’s overnight operation at the tomb of Süleyman Şah in Syria.
“We express our condolences to Turkey and especially to the friends and family of the Turkish soldier \[Halit Avcı\] who died in an accident in the course of that operation. The United States and Turkey are in close and ongoing coordination on developments in Syria, including intelligence and information sharing,” a senior State Department official told daily Hürriyet after the Feb. 22 phone talk.
Turkey evacuated its military personnel protecting the Tomb of Süleyman Şah in northern Syria in an operation jointly conducted by the intelligence organization and the Turkish army launched late Feb. 21. Avcı was killed in an accident during the early hours of the operation.
The tomb, around 37 kilometers from the Turkish border, is regarded as Turkish territory by international agreements and was protected by around 40 soldiers.
Turkey has cordoned off a new area west of Kobane, about 180 meters from the Turkish border, to house the relocated tomb.
