Another Syrian Insurgent Provocation?

It appears that two powerful car bombs have gone off in Reyhanli, a Turkish town on the Syrian border, with early reports suggesting at least four dead. It is a dangerous turn of events — particularly as Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has dug a deep hole for himself through his support for the insurgents in Syria and has, as his strategy has collapsed, gone into full panic mode. Erdogan may hope to salvage some of his policy by accusing the Syrian government of bombing Turkey, internationalizing the conflict, and thereby inviting a Turkish military response.

There is one problem: As the MoA blog has pointed out, Reyhanli is a town mostly populated by pro-Assad Alawites.

As with the illogical sarin gas claims, why would the Syrian government bomb a town full of its supporters in Turkey thereby giving Erdogan the excuse he has been looking for to begin international military action against Syria? Does it make sense?

However, the insurgents have a long history of provocations in attempt to draw neighboring countries and beyond into their fight to overthrow the Syrian government. Also, car bombs are the insurgents stock in trade.

This is a serious development, as already no mainstream corporate media outlet is reporting that Reyhanli is a pro-Assad village. Such reporting would weaken claims that the Syrian government is behind the car bombs.

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6:54 am on May 11, 2013