Turkey hits Syrian targets after Syrian shells kill 5 Turks
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E-mail Xinhua, October 4, 2012
Turkey on Wednesday attacked targets in Syria in response to the mortar shelling in southeastern Turkey from the Syrian side, a statement released by Turkish prime ministry said.
Turkey attacked the Syrian targets, after artillery shells from Syria fell in Turkey and killed five people in Akcakale, a border town in Turkey' s Sanliurfa province.
"Our armed forces on border region have given the required response in line with the rule of engagements. Targets in Syria, which were detected by radar, were shot by shelling," the written statement said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has contacted NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and UN-Arab League joint special envoy on Syria Lakhdar Brahim, according to the statement.
In this regards, NATO council would hold an emergency meeting, it added.
"Turkey will never remain unresponsive against these sorts of provocations of Syrian regime within the framework of rules of engagement and international law," the statement added.
Sanliurfa Governor Celalettin Guvenc said that three or four Syrian artillery shells landed in Akcakale town in Sanliurfa province bordering Syria, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
One of the artillery shells hit a house at around 16:30 local time (1330 GMT), killing a mother and her four children inside. " At the incident, 10 people were wounded, including police officers. Two of those wounded are in serious condition," Guvenc said.
"We have evacuated 30 residences in the region close to the Turkish-Syrian border, and schools went on a recess as a precautionary measure," Guvenc added.
The governor urged Turkish people to "act with restraint," adding that "We have informed our prime minister about the developments. All necessary meetings in Ankara are being conducted. "
"The explosions in Akcakale town from the Syrian side caused strong panic, and tight security measures have been taken in the town," Akcakale Mayor Abdulhakim Ayhan was quoted by Anatolia as saying.
Ayhan said two separate explosions occurred in the town. "After the first blast, many homes and businesses were damaged. A second blast took place at the same location," Ayhan added.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan received information about the explosions from Sanliurfa Governor Celalettin Guvenc, and held an urgent meeting of high-ranking officials, NTV said.
NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said on Wednesday that NATO was closely and anxiously monitoring the situation in southeastern Turkey.
Ankara has repeatedly complained about the spillover of Syrian artillery and gun fire into its territory. Last week, the Turkish government signaled that it would take action if mortar strikes were repeated on its territory from Syria.
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