Syrian shell strikes Turkey, no injuries

BEIRUT/ANKARA - Agence France-Presse

Residents search for bodies under rubble after a jet fighter strike. REUTERS Photo

A shell fired from Syria early Monday landed in southeastern Turkey without injuring anyone, Turkish television reported.
 
The shell dug a deep crater in an olive grove near Akcabaglar in Kilis province, damaging some trees, according to NTV and CNN-Turk.
 
It was not clear whether it was fired by troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or by rebels fighting to oust his regime.
 
Since the shelling in early October of the Turkish border village of Akcakale killed five civilians, Ankara forces have replied in kind each time Syrian fire hits Turkey, with Damascus generally being held responsible.
 
To protect NATO member Turkey from possible Syrian threats, the United States, The Netherlands and Germany are to deploy batteries of ground-to-air Patriot missiles and hundreds of soldiers in the next few days along the Syrian border in southern Turkey at the request of Ankara.

Air strike near Damascus kills 6 children: watchdog

An air strike on a building in the rebel-held town of Moadamiyat al-Sham southwest of Damascus killed at least six children today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
 
The Britain-based watchdog had confirmed the identities of six child victims, all members of the same clan, said watchdog director Rami Abdel Rahmam. He added that the toll may rise as more people, including several women, were believed trapped in the rubble.