Mortar bombs from Syria clash land in Turkey

By Mehmet Kocaaslan

GAZIANTEP, Turkey

Seven mortar bombs have landed in a Turkish residential area on the Syrian border since Tuesday morning, a security source said.

Earlier in the day, two mortar bombs landed in a Turkish residential area on the Syrian border.

There were no injuries in Karkamis, which lies around a kilometer (mile) across the frontier from Jarabulus, where Free Syrian Army forces are fighting to take control of the city from Daesh.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, the source said that roads leading into the area were closed for security reasons and residents were urged to stay home.

Security measures were tightened in the area, and tanks, armored personnel carrier vehicles, and heavy weapons were deployed to previously determined points.

Border patrols were also increased.

Fire and emergency service crews were also dispatched to the area, the source said.

The Karkamis Police Department’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit cordoned off the area.

The Turkish Armed Forces responded by destroying targets, but did not specify what they were, the source added.

The town lies in the Gaziantep province, whose capital was hit by a suicide bomb Saturday that killed 54 and has been blamed on Daesh.

Separately, three rockets fired from Daesh-controlled territory in Syria landed in neighboring Kilis on Tuesday. There were no reported casualties.

The border province has been hit by more than 80 rockets since January, resulting in 21 deaths.