Syrian passenger plane flying from Moscow forced to land in Ankara The Syrian passenger plane at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey. Turkey received intelligence that a Syrian passenger plane which it has forced to land in Ankara was carrying "non-civilian cargo," foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu says. Speaking live on Turkish television, Davutoglu said Turkey was within its rights under international law to investigate civilian planes suspected to be carrying military materials. Fighters jets were scrambled to force down the plane, which was travelling to Syria from Moscow. Turkey's civil aviation authority has also banned Turkish civilian aircraft from using Syrian airspace citing insecurity in its southern neighbour, state-run broadcaster TRT said. Tensions between the countries are running high. Turkey's armed forces have bolstered their presence along the 560-mile border and have been firing back over the past week in response to gunfire and shelling coming across from northern Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad's forces have been battling rebels who control swathes of territory.