In soldiers' rescue, Turkey plays off warring sides in Syria

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* Weekend operation dictated by tactical factors * Encircled soldiers could have become election drawback * Ankara ma**euvres between rivals including Islamic State By Nick Tattersall ISTANBUL, Feb 23 (Reuters) - By extracting dozens of its soldiers surrounded by Islamist fighters in Syria, Turkey has warded off a potential crisis and shown its ability to ma**euvre between rival warring parties, including Islamic State. Several hundred Turkish ground troops, backed by tanks and drones, mounted an eight-hour operation on Saturday night to evacuate the 38 soldiers guarding the tomb of Suleyman Shah, grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire. The fact there were ** clashes appeared to suggest that Islamic State fighters surrounding the site were either warned or coerced by Turkey **t to try to disrupt the incursion, the first it has mounted since Syria's civil war broke out in 2011.

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