Turkish consul general recalled from Aleppo

Move follows closing of embassy in Damascus earlier this year

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey says it has recalled its consul general from Syria’s city of Aleppo, where government troops are battling with opposition forces.

A Foreign Ministry official says the diplomat returned to Turkey on Monday. It was not known how long he would stay.

In March, Turkey closed its embassy in Damascus and withdrew the ambassador as ties between the two countries worsened over Syria’s violent suppression of the uprising there. The Consulate in Aleppo remained open.

Turkey has become Syria’s strongest critic and ties between the neighbors strained further last month after Syria shot down a Turkish military reconnaissance plane.

Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city, has become the focus of a rebel assault by a newly formed alliance of opposition forces.