Turkish special forces at ready in Gallipoli

Turkish special forces soldiers will lie hidden in the scrub around key Australian sites at Gallipoli on Anzac Day.

25 April 2014 - Gallipoli, Turkey. Australians and New Zealander attend the Anzac Day dawn service at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli. Picture: Ella Pellegrini

Turkish special forces soldiers will lie hidden in the scrub around key Australian sites at Gallipoli on Anzac Day to stymie any attempt by the Islamic State terror group to launch an attack.

The dramatic move will be part of the largest security operation ever mounted by Turkish author­ities at an Anzac Day commemoration at Gallipoli and reflects the unpredictable nature of the threat posed by Islamic State at a time when more than 10,000 Austral­ians and VIPs will be at Gallipoli.

Terror raids in Melbourne at the weekend have intens­i­f­ied the focus on the safety of those ­attending the historic dawn service in Turkey, which has a porou­s border with the Islamic State strongholds of Syria and Iraq.

While a recent Australian intell­igence assessment is understood to have found no sign of a terrorist plot against Australians in Turkey, the Turkish authorities have taken no chances and have added an extra layer of security to the 100th anniversary commemorations at Gallipoli.

Despite events in Melbourne, Australians began arriving at the Gallipoli battlefields yesterday in large numbers, apparently undeterred by the risk of terrorism.

“I feel pretty safe here: I mean, if something is going to happen, it’s going to happen,” said Nicole Hicks as she toured the Ari Burna cemetery near Anzac Cove.

Special forces from Turkey’s Second Army Command will be at hidden strategic locations in the bush around the Gallipoli Peninsula on the eve of the major commemorations on Anzac Day to respond to any attempted attacks.

They will be part of an almost 4000-strong Turkish police and security contingent that will man checkpoints across the peninsula where 10,500 Australians and New Zealanders will pay their respect­s on Saturday, the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings on April 25, 1915.

The Australian has been told secur­ity precautions include a no-fly zone over Anzac Cove and at least 10 Turkish coastguard vessels patrolling the waters off the peninsula to stymie attempts to disrupt the services by sea.

On Friday, the entire peninsula will be evacuated for several hours while Turkish authorities sweep the former battlefields. After that point, all visitors for the official Australians and Turkish services will undergo three separate airport-style screenings — one more than in previous years — before being let into the memorial sites.

“Because of the strong presence of the Turkish security forces and the attention to detail, I believe the service will be one of the safest places­ in Turkey,” said Tim Evans, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs­ head of commemorations.

The ramped-up security also reflects the larger number of VIPs attending the centenary commemorations, including Tony ­Abbott; New Zealand Prime Minister John Key; Irish President ­Michael Higgins; and reportedly Prince Charles and Prince Harry.

Mr Abbott and Mr Key will discuss the latest terror threat and their joint troop deployment to Iraq when they meet in Wellington this morning.

Mr Abbott is visiting New Zealand to attend the dedication of the Australian Memorial in the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington. The memorial commemorates the many conflicts in which Australian and New Zealand troops have jointly served.

Mr Abbott will also visit an ­exhibition, Gallipoli: The scale of our war, at the Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa Tongarewa). “This visit is a reminder of the deep ties between our two nations,’’­ he said. “We are more than friends, we are family.’’

Although Islamic State is targeting Australians in the wake of the country’s role in the allied airstrikes against its positions in Iraq, it has so far not succeeded in attack­ing Western targets in Turkey despite the relatively easy border movements between Turkey and neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

The West has been critical of the ambivalence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan towards Islamic State and has called for him to close borders to prevent foreign fighters crossing from Turkey to join the group, and Islamic State fighters entering Turkey.

The security of the Gallipoli Peninsula is the responsibility of the Turkish government, although information is exchanged between Turkish authorities and the Australian Federal Police.

“There’s been the closest possible liaison and the closest possible co-operation between Australia and Turkey in the lead-up to the event,” Mr Abbott said.