Five Syrians killed, five wounded as rocket projectiles from Syria hit Turkey’s south

KİLİS/HATAY

AA photo

Five Syrians, including four children, were killed and five others were wounded when five rocket projectiles fired from Syria hit the Turkish border province of Kilis on April 18.

Four Katyusha projectiles, which were fired from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)-controlled Bab region in northern Syria, hit an empty field while the other projectiles hit residential areas.

Five civilians were killed and five others were wounded in the consecutive firings.

Meanwhile, Turkish Artillery units retaliated by shelling ISIL positions near the border within the rules of engagement. Security measures in the region have also been raised to their highest along the border.

In addition to the projectiles in Kilis, a rural area close to the Topraktutan Border Post in Hatay’s Yayladağı district was also hit by a shell on April 18. 

The shell came from a region controlled by the Syrian army, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported. 

No casualties were reported, and the Turkish Army responded with artillery fire across the border within the rules of engagement.

The tension has been high in the region, as rocket projectiles fired from Syria landed in Kilis for three consecutive days. A total of 12 people were wounded on April 11, while two people were killed and six were wounded on April 12. 

Fortunately, Katyusha rockets fired from Syria fell on an empty field on April 13.

The shelling caused widespread panic and anger among Kilis locals, who have demanded more security measures from the governor’s office. 

Turkish Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and National Intelligence Agency (MİT) head Hakan Fidan carried out inspections in Kilis on April 13. The minister said 362 ISIL militants had been killed in cross-border fire.