The Syrian and Turkey conflict decoded: Three questions with Peter Gelling
What does this overflowing conflict mean for the rest of the world and what does NATO have to do with it? Peter Gelling explains.
The conflict in Syria has spilled over its borders and into Turkey.
On Oct. 3, a Syrian shell struck and killed five people in Akcakale, Turkey.
Turkey immediately fired back at Syria.
A statement from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said, "Our armed forces in the border region responded immediately to this abominable attack in line with their rules of engagement; targets were struck through artillery fire against places in Syria identified by radar. Turkey will never leave unanswered such kinds of provocation by the Syrian regime against our national security."
With the violence continuing to escalate, NATO stated that it is ready to support Turkey in a fight against Syria.
"We have all necessary plans in place to protect and defend Turkey if necessary," Fogh Rasmussen told reporters ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
How will this affect the rest of the world? We sat down with GlobalPost Middle East Editor Peter Gelling to find out.