Turkey intercepts Syrian passenger jet

Turkish officials said they have confiscated "objectionable cargo" from a Syrian passenger jet intercepted en route from Moscow to Damascus.

Aviation authorities diverted the airliner, carrying some 30 passengers, grounding it for more than eight hours on Wednesday. It has now been allowed to leave Turkey.

The A-320 plane had been escorted by two Turkish fighter jets to Ankara's Esenboga Airport on suspicion it was carrying military equipment. Military communications devices were reportedly confiscated before the plane was allowed to leave hours later.

The airliner was travelling from Moscow to Damascus with 35 passengers - far fewer than its 180 passenger capacity - and two crew.

The incident marks a further deterioration in relations between Turkey and Syria, already stretched by days of cross-border shelling.

Turkey's foreign minister said Ankara was determined to stop any transfer of weapons to Syria through its airspace.

Tensions have been high since five Turkish civilians were killed by Syrian mortar fire last week, prompting Turkey to fire into Syria for the first time since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began 19 months ago.

Earlier on Wednesday, Turkey's top military commander warned Syria that Ankara would respond with greater force if Syria continued its cross-border shelling.

"There is illegal cargo on the plane that should have been reported" in line with civil aviation regulations, said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

"There are elements on board that can be considered objectionable," he added. "We are determined to control weapons transfers to a regime that carries out such brutal massacres of civilians. It is unacceptable that such a transfer is made using our airspace."

The Turkish NTV news channel suggested that the confiscated cargo might be missile parts, or other weapons systems.

Russia, from where the Syrian plane took off, is one of the closest allies of Bashar al-Assad's government and has blocked several UN resolutions against Damascus.

Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities have declared Syrian airspace to be unsafe and are preventing Turkish aircraft from flying over the country.

Meanwhile, the US has confirmed reports it has established a military task force in Jordan.

It is monitoring the security of Syria's chemical and biological weapons as well as helping with the aid effort.