Syria accused of seeking to pull Turkey into a ‘quagmire'

Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay told a news conference that nine people -- all Turks -- were detained for questioning and that some had confessed involvement in the attacks, which also left dozens wounded.

But Ankara blamed the international community's silence for the failure to oust Assad.

 "The latest attack shows how a spark transforms into a fire when the international community remains silent and the UN Security Council fails to act," Davutoglu said.

Erdogan has in recent weeks ramped up his rhetoric against Assad, calling him a butcher and accusing him of using chemical weapons in the conflict.

But German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere argued there were only "limited" options available to the international community.

"A military intervention would be very, very costly and would result in significant losses," he cautioned in an interview on German public television.

AFP