Naharnet

Two Rockets Fired from Syria Land near Turkish Airport

Two rockets fired Saturday from inside Syria landed near the international airport of Gaziantep, a major Turkish border city, although nobody was hurt, the Turkish news agency Dogan reported.

One of the projectiles landed in a residential complex for employees of Oguzeli airport, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) outside the city and another came down in scrubland, according to Dogan.

The rockets fell around 10:50 am (0750 GMT), the agency said, adding military officials and the governor of Gaziantep were inspecting the damage.

The nearby city of Kilis, just a handful of kilometers from the Syrian border, has been struck several times this year by rockets which Ankara says were fired by Islamic State fighters. Missiles rarely penetrate deeper into Turkish territory.

Those attacks have claimed at least 21 lives with more than 70 injured, including five on Friday.

Gaziantep lies around 30 km further north away from the border.

It was not clear if the rockets were "strays" from fighting in northern Syria or if they constituted a deliberate attack on the airport.

Several European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Donald Tusk visited Gaziantep only last month.

Turkish forces say they have responded to rocket attacks by bombarding IS positions in northern Syria.

Source: Agence France Presse


Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/210318