Two killed, six injured as rockets land in Turkey’s Kilis for second time

KİLİS – Anadolu Agency

AA photo

Two people were killed and six were wounded on April 12 when two rocket projectiles fired from Syria landed in the southern border province of Kilis, marking the second such incident in less than one day.

One of the two rocket projectiles fired from Syria landed in an empty field at around 9:45 a.m. while the other hit the first floor of a four-story hostel. Eight people were wounded in the incident, and two of those injured later succumbed to their injuries.

The wounded were taken to the Kilis State Hospital. Some buildings and vehicles nearby the scene were also damaged. A number of ambulances and fire fighters were deployed as police took security measures.

The Kilis Governor’s Office said in a statement that the treatment of those in critical condition was ongoing.

The incident on April 12 came less than a day after three rocket projectiles hit the southern province.

Three rocket projectiles fired from a region under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria landed in Kilis on April 11, wounding 12. One of the projectiles hit a house.

Kilis Gov. Süleyman Tapsız told reporters that two of the wounded were in critical condition.

He also said that the Turkish Army had shelled ISIL positions spotted in the region within the rules of engagement right after the incident.

The southern province of Kilis has occasionally been the target of rocket projectiles from Syria.

In another recent incident, two Katyusha projectiles believed to be fired from the ISIL-controlled Bab region hit two neighborhoods of central Kilis on April 7 and wounded three.

Previously, four people were killed and another four were wounded in two separate incidents on Jan. 18 and March 8 when rocket projectiles fired from the Bab region hit a school and a neighborhood.