Turkey evacuates soldiers from Suleyman Shah tomb in Syria

Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the military operation to evacuate 38 soldiers who were guarding the tomb of Suleyman Shah involved 100 military vehicles and 39 tanks.

Mr Davutoglu added that Turkey did not seek permission or assistance from other parties ahead of the operation.

The operation was successful, with the 38 soldiers safely back in Turkey, Mr Davutoglu told a news conference in Ankara.

Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the remains of Suleyman Shah have been moved to a different area in Syria which has been brought under the control of the Turkish army.

Turkey's armed forces launched an operation on Saturday night to evacuate soldiers guarding the mausoleum of Suleyman Shah who is the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey's military said there were no clashes during the operation but one soldier was killed in an 'accident'.

One Turkish soldier was killed in an accident during the operation to evacuate troops from the Suleyman Shah tomb in Syria, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters.

The operation is now complete and Turkish soldiers have been successfully evacuated.

The Turkish military launched an operation into Syria on Saturday night to evacuate Turkish soldiers who were guarding the Suleyman Shah tomb, sources told Reuters news agency.

The Turkish government said late last year that Islamic State militants were advancing on the mausoleum, which is guarded by several dozen Turkish soldiers.

The tomb was made Turkish territory under a treaty signed with France in 1921, when France ruled Syria. Turkey regards it as sovereign territory and had repeatedly vowed to defend it from any attack by the insurgents.