Eight injured ISIL rocket attacks in Turkey's Kilis

KİLİS

AA photo

A total of eight people, mostly children, were injured on Sept. 22 when two rockets fired from an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)-held area in northern Syria hit the center of the border province of Kilis.

The first rocket hit a bazaar area in the Canpolat Paşa neighborhood in the afternoon hours, wounding five children and an adult, Kilis Governor İsmail Çataklı has stated.

The wounded were transferred to Kilis State Hospital and were in stable condition, the governor added.

The second attack came a few hours later, injuring two, according to initial reports.

Meanwhile, the first rocket attack caused material damage to a three-story building and a store in the neighborhood. Three of the injured were shopping at the store during the attack.

Security forces also cordoned off the area and evacuated locals at the scene.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) announced that artillery units fired 60 shots at gun positions belonging to the jihadist group after the attack.

Turkish F-16 jets also destroyed ISIL positions in the region in 20 airstrikes, killing 40 ISIL militants.

Since early January, a total of 22 people, 12 of whom were Syrians, have been killed in ISIL rocket attacks targeting the border province.

After a series of deadly attacks targeting the country, the Turkish military and U.S.-led coalition forces launched a joint military operation in Syria on Aug. 24 to remove the jihadist group and other terrorist elements from the border.