BRUSSELS, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- NATO ambassadors are holding an emergency meeting Wednesday evening after a mortar bomb fired from Syria killed five Turks, a NATO official said.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has consulted with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the official told Xinhua by phone.

The meeting is still going on and a statement is expected to be released afterwards, he said.

NATO ambassadors once met in June this year, at Turkey's request, after the downing of a Turkish jet by Syrian forces. The allies said they "remain seized of developments" on the Turkish-Syrian border.

According to earlier reports, 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.

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. Enditem

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)