Turkey calls for rare NATO talks after attacks along Syrian borde

NATO said Sunday that it would meet this week after Turkey called for special talks amid heightened concerns over its security.

Turkey made the request under Article 4 of NATO's founding treaty, which allows countries to ask for consultations when they believe their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.

It's only the fifth time in NATO history that members will meet under Article 4, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu told CNN.

"In the wake of increased security threats following the attacks against our security and law-enforcement forces in provinces of Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa and Kilis, in particular the terrorist attack that took the lives of 32 innocent Turkish citizens in Suruç on 20 July 2015, all necessary measures are being taken and in this context, operations are also being carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Upon these recent attacks and threats directed against our national security, North Atlantic Council has been called for a meeting by Turkey [this] week under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty with a view to informing our Allies about the measures we are taking and the operations we are conducting against terrorism, as well as to holding consultations with them," it said.

NATO, in a separate statement, confirmed that a meeting would take place on Tuesday.

The talks will come as Turkey grapples with a wave of violence near its southern border with Syria and is ramping up its effort to fight terrorists.

A car bomb exploded Sunday in southern Turkey, killing two security officers and wounding four other people, according to officials.

On Thursday, at least five ISIS militants in northern Syria approached the border and fired on a Turkish border unit, killing a soldier and wounding two others, the Turkish military said.

Authorities say ISIS was also to blame for the suicide blast Monday that killed more than 30 people in Suruç.

And after the Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK, killed two Turkish police officers Wednesday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to take action.

Turkey believes the PKK is exploiting ISIS' efforts. The PKK has been fighting for independence since 1984 and is feared to be making gains.

The group is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, but PKK militants have come to the aid of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters who have been fighting ISIS in northern Iraq.

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com