Turkish PM warns of civil war in Syria

Turkey's prime minister says he is concerned the unrest in Syria could descend into a sectarian civil war.

The Syrian regime is trying to crush the country's 6-month-old uprising using deadly force that the U.N. says has killed some 2,600 people.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Egyptian daily Al-Shorouk in an interview published Tuesday that he fears Alawites and Sunnis will turn on each other.

Syria's ruling elite are Alawite, although the country is mostly Sunni.

Turkey is Syria's neighbor and important trade partner, but its leaders have grown increasingly frustrated with Damascus.

Erdogan was expected to address the Arab League in Cairo later Tuesday.