VOA慢速英語:Clashes Intensify on Turkish-Syrian Border

[00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, [00:06.59]this is IN THE NEWS in Special English. [00:10.84]A Syrian artillery attack this week [00:14.49]killed five civilians in Turkey. [00:17.44]It was one of the most serious cross-border incidents [00:22.20]since the fighting in Syria began a year and a half ago. [00:27.05]Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [00:32.15]are accused of firing a shell [00:34.51]that struck a house in Akcakale on Wednesday. [00:39.02]Two women and three children died. [00:42.33]Turkish forces shelled Syrian targets to answer the attack. [00:47.93]Also, Turkey's parliament passed a one-year measure [00:52.59]approving military intervention into Syria if necessary. [00:57.55]Under the Turkish constitution, [01:00.40]the government needs that permission to operate outside Turkey. [01:05.62]Parliament easily passed the measure, [01:08.62]but the main opposition party voted against it. [01:12.62]And opinion surveys show that the Turkish public [01:16.82]strongly opposes any heavy military action against Syria. [01:22.03]Inside Syria, the war continues with intensity. [01:27.29]In Aleppo, the country's largest city, [01:31.09]the few hospitals that are still open [01:34.25]are struggling to treat victims of the conflict. [01:37.95]VOA reporter Scott Bobb and cameraman Sebastian Meyer [01:43.81]visited one of those hospitals. [01:46.26]SCOTT BOBB: "Dar al-Shifa Hospital in Aleppo. [01:50.55]Staff treat soldiers of the rebel Free Syria Army [01:53.90]wounded in various battles this morning. [01:56.31]They are also treating civilians. [01:59.16]This boy was hit by a bullet. [02:01.71]It went through his shoulder and lodged in his chest. [02:04.82]This family arrives in panic and in grief. [02:08.72]A mortar shell hit their home. [02:10.92]Two babies are among the wounded. [02:12.87]A teenager arrives with a shattered leg. [02:15.69]He will survive but as an amputee. [02:18.55]The father lies on the sidewalk. [02:21.91]He died before reaching the hospital, [02:23.96]hit by shrapnel in the head." [02:25.97]The hospital was heavily damaged [02:29.32]and is able to provide only emergency first aid. [02:33.32]After treatment, the wounded are sent home or, [02:37.68]if they need more attention, to Turkey -- two hours away. [02:42.18]The Syrian conflict sometimes spills into Turkey, [02:46.64]as the attack on Wednesday showed. [02:49.20]Turkey has sent more troops to the border [02:52.65]since Syrian anti-aircraft fire [02:55.40]shot down a Turkish warplane in June. [02:58.90]But Cengiz Aktar, a political scientist [03:02.61]at Istanbul's Bahcesehir University, [03:05.56]says there is no desire for a war with Syria. [03:09.46]CENGIZ AKTAR: "Turkey is entering [03:11.51]quite a difficult period economically speaking [03:14.97]and I do not think they would like to add more expenditure [03:19.48]to their already very strained budget." [03:21.79]Turkey's forces are much larger [03:24.24]and more modern than Syrian forces. [03:26.89]But the Turkish military is battling Kurdish rebels. [03:31.04]And it has other issues requiring its attention. [03:34.70]Last month, more than three hundred army officers [03:38.91]were found guilty of plotting against Turkey's government. [03:43.45]The government has, in the past, [03:46.36]said it would not intervene by itself in Syria. [03:50.27]But Turkey is finding little international support [03:54.33]for intervention from the United Nations or NATO. [03:58.84]And political observer Sinan Ulgen says [04:03.20]Turkey has been generally dissatisfied [04:06.26]with international reaction to the Syrian crisis. [04:10.76]SINAN ULGEN: "Turkey feels that it has been left alone to [04:13.96]deal with crisis on Syria. [04:16.12]The international community, despite having engaged [04:18.82]in the rhetoric of the responsibility to protect, [04:21.57]did not live up to the bargain." [04:23.53]And that's IN THE NEWS in Special English. [04:28.03]You can find transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our programs [04:33.69]at voasepcialenglish.com. [04:37.06]And you can find us on Twitter and YouTube [04:40.56]at VOA Learning English. [04:43.57]I'm Bob Doughty.

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