First Lady Michelle Obama speaks out about gun control – First Lady Michelle Obama will be making a uncommon venture into politics. The First Lady will be giving a speech on gun violence, which plays a vital activist role during Presidents Obama’s second term. (more...) • Dearborn Heights Relay for Life coming up – Participants in the American Cancer Society’s 24 hour Relay for Life event are gearing up to fight against cancer at Crestwood High School’s football field, 1501 N. Beech Daly Road, on May 11. (more...) • Facebook makes changes to timeline once again – Facebook has made a change to its timeline once again. The change to the timeline was announced in March and was recently unveiled to Facebook users. Users profile page went from cluttered and hard to read, to simple and organized. (more...) • Student loan rates to increase – On July 1, the national rate on student loans is set to double from the current rate of 3.4%, to a new rate at 6.8%. (more...) • Caribou Coffee closes some Michigan locations – If you’re looking for a Caribou Coffee in Michigan after this April, you may be out of luck. (more...) • Habitat for Humanity to build 12 new homes in East Dearborn – For the first time in 26 years, Habitat for Humanity will reach outside of Detroit and into East Dearborn, where homes will be built for twelve lucky families whose dream to have a home will finally become reality. The city of Dearborn and ACCESS hav ... (more...) • Boston Marathon bombed, hundreds injured; federal officials assume terrorism – Tragedy struck the city of Boston during the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon. (more...) • Hollywood films to be shot in Detroit bring jobs to Michigan – Detroit has big plans for the film industry coming late this spring. Just announced on Monday, April 1st from the Michigan Film Office is the film directed and written by actor, Ryan Gosling, “How to Catch a Monster” has been approved for a film ... (more...) • More News...

Conflict grows between Syria and Turkey

Turkish forces fired at Syrian targets on Wednesday.

Published October 9, 2012

Syrian refugees wave Turkish and Syrian Independence flags during a protest against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad at Yayladagi refugee camp in Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border April 20, 2012. (Photo courtesy of Freedom House 2 on Flickr under CC license)

By MICHAEL PALAZZOLO, Guest Writer

Unrest continues to grow in the Middle East, as Syria’s conflict with Turkey has shown no signs of stopping.

On Wednesday October 3, Turkish forces fired at Syrian targets in response to the Syrian shelling of a Turkish border town. The shelling killed five local residents and wounded dozens of others, according to CBS news.

A statement from the Turkish Prime-Minister’s office justifies the reasoning behind the Turkish attack.

“Our armed forces at the border region responded to this atrocious attack with artillery fire on points in Syria that were detected with radar, in line with the rules of engagement.”

This all comes on the heels of the current Syrian civil war. Turkey’s involvement stems from that fact that thousands of Syrian refugees flee across the border every day. Turkey also backs Syrian rebel forces fighting against the Syrian army, and Syrian president Bashar Assad.

Junior Christina Matouk is one of the many University of Michigan-Dearborn students of Syrian descent, and part of a large number of Syrians in southeastern Michigan.

“It’s sad to see a country that is part of your heritage tear itself apart like that. My family doesn’t have any close relatives left over there, but I know a lot of Syrians in the community do. All we can do is hope for the best and pray that a solution comes sooner rather than later.”

President Obama noted that United States intervention is unlikely to come, unless the use of chemical warfare becomes a battle tactic.

The Syrian civil war began in March 2011, with the Syrian people calling for the end of president Bashar Assad’s reign. Syrians were relatively peaceful until that point, while the rest of the Middle East was in the midst of what is now known as the “Arab Spring”.

President Assad has noted that the country is on hold and is in the midst of a “real war”. The Free Syrian rebels will continue to fight until president Assad is ousted from his position.