Turkey forces Syrian passenger plane to land

Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday a Syrian passenger plane forced to land in Ankara was carrying Russian-made munitions destined for Syria’s armed forces, ratcheting up tension with his country’s war-torn neighbour.

Damascus said the plane had been carrying legitimate cargo and described Turkey’s actions as an act of “air piracy”, while Moscow accused Ankara of endangering the lives of Russian passengers when it intercepted the jet late on Wednesday.

The grounding of the plane was another sign of Ankara’s growing assertiveness towards the crisis in Syria. Turkey’s chief of staff warned on Wednesday the military would use greater force if Syrian shells continued to land in Turkey.