One killed after rockets from Syria hit Turkey's Kilis

KİLİS

AA photo

One person was killed and seven others were wounded after four rockets fired from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)-controlled territory hit the southeastern border province of Kilis early on May 5, for the second time in one day.

Four Katyusha rockets hit central Kilis at around 5:15 p.m. and injuries were reported.

Heath personnel were deployed to the area following the explosion.

Meanwhile, two armed vehicles and two Katyusha positions were destroyed as five ISIL militants were killed, the Turkish General Staff has announced following the attack.
Also on May 5, four people, including a police officer, had been wounded after rockets fired from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)-controlled territory hit the border province earlier on May 5. 

Two rockets were fired from Syria, causing damage to a number of buildings, including a high school and the Provincial Education Directorate. Another rocket landed 20 minutes later. 

The Turkish army said that four ISIL militants were killed and the weapon launching sites that the attack was carried out from was destroyed. 

Discontent in Kilis

The attack also prompted outcry from local residents, as the province has been hit by a series of rocket attacks originating from ISIL-held Syrian territory since mid-January. A total of 20 people have been killed and scores have been wounded by rockets fired at the border province since Jan. 18.

Shopkeepers in Kilis protested by declining to open shops for the day while the head of Kilis’ Union of Chamber of Merchants and Craftsmen, Ömer Sevengül, said union members were uneasy over continuous attacks from across the border. 

“Each day we wake up with the sound of an explosion. All we want is for calm to arrive because right now everyone is panicked about an imminent rocket attack,” he said, underlining they lowered their shutters to raise attention and make a point. 

90 buildings damaged

According to reports, a total of 90 buildings and 32 vehicles were damaged by ISIL attacks since the rockets started hitting on Jan. 18. 

Amid efforts to increase safety in the province, the Kilis Governor’s Office prohibited the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the city center or in its districts. The violation of the ban will be punishable with a year to three years of imprisonment, the announcement said.