Thursday 29 August 2013

Turks hit by deadly Syrian clashes

17 July 2013 Last updated at 16:06 GMT A fighter from Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra Clashes are said to have started after al-Nusra rebels attacked a convoy of Kurdish women fighters A Turkish boy has died and another has been seriously wounded by stray gunfire from clashes across the Syrian border.

Mahsun Ertugrul, 17, died after a stray bullet struck him in the chest in the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar.

The bullets came from the northern Syrian town of Ras-al Ain, during a battle between Syrian anti-government rebels and Kurdish fighters.

The fighting reportedly killed at least 10 people. Recently, several Syrian clashes have spilled into Turkey.

The latest incident highlights the growing concern that Syria's civil war is dragging in neighbouring states.

'Rain of bullets'

The death of the teenage boy sparked anger in Ceylanpinar, where locals tried to prevent an injured Syrian who was evacuated to Turkey from being taken to hospital.

A 15-year-old boy from the same town was in intensive care after a stray bullet struck him in the head.

An official from Ceylanpinar told BBC Turkish the town was under a "rain of bullets" coming across the border.

Vice-Mayor Ahmet Ayrilmaz said many buildings were hit by bullets.

Mr Ayrilmaz confirmed that some injured Syrian rebels were brought to town for treatment, provoking reaction from the locals.

The Turkish army released a statement saying they opened fire from a border post in retaliation for the stray bullets.

Local media reports say people in Ceylanpinar are avoiding going out on the streets.

Strategic town

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, said clashes started on Tuesday after fighters from the Islamist rebel group al-Nusra attacked a convoy of Kurdish women fighters and took a gunman hostage.

Nine jihadists and two Kurdish fighters were killed in clashes, the Observatory said.

There was no independent verification of the account.

The pro-Kurdish Firat News Agency reported that 15 people had died.

Clashes between Kurds and anti-government Syrian and foreign fighters have erupted since Kurds began asserting control over parts of north-eastern Syria from late last year.

Ras al-Ain is home to a majority Kurdish population and is of strategic importance given its location close to Turkey.

Kurdish fighters are trying to ensure neither the regime of President Bashar al-Assad nor the opposition takes control of the area.

In the worst example of the spillover of violence into Turkey, 52 people were killed when twin car bombs ripped through Reyhanli, another border town, on 11 May.

Turkey accused Syria of involvement in the attacks but Damascus has denied any role.


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