Syrian mortar bomb hits Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - A mortar bomb fired from Syria hit southeastern Turkey on Friday, September 28 damaging homes and workplaces in the Akcakale border area, Reuters said citing the private Dogan news agency.

Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said they had no immediate information. The conflict in neighboring Syria has affected border areas in the past when stray bullets have flown into Turkish territory.

In April, Turkey officially reported an incident to the United Nations in which at least five people, including two Turkish officials, were wounded when cross-border gunfire hit a Syrian refugee camp in Kilis, further west along the frontier.

Turkey beefed up its troop presence and air defenses along its 900-km border after Syria shot down a Turkish reconnaissance jet in June.

At the time, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the military's rules of engagement had been changed and that any Syrian element approaching Turkey's border and deemed a threat would be treated as a military target.