Turkish border town hit by new rocket fire from Syria

A Turkish town on the Syrian border was on Wednesday hit by new rocket fire from Syria, a day after two people were killed by shelling from a jihadist-controlled area, reports said.

Kilis, which lies just a few kilometres from the border with Syria, has been hit by fire from Katyusha-type rockets every day this week amid growing concern over its vulnerability.

The latest rocket fire caused no injuries with the projectiles falling in two separate open spaces in the centre of the town, the Dogan news agency said.

On Tuesday morning, eight people were wounded when rockets fired from an area in Syria controlled by Islamic State (IS) jihadists crashed into the centre of Kilis.

One of the wounded died later in the day and another overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, Dogan said.

In a sign of Ankara's alarm over the repeated firing on Kilis, Turkey's top general Hulusi Ankar and its powerful intelligence chief Hakan Fidan were both in the town Wednesday to investigate the situation, Turkish television said.
Dozens of people had rallied in the centre of Kilis on Tuesday to call for greater security measures against the shelling, Turkish media reports said.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey's armed forces had responded on Tuesday by launching artillery strikes of its own against IS positions in Syria.

The exchange of fire comes after the IS wrested back control of the town of Al-Rai, near Turkey, which rival rebels had captured last week.

Neither the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front nor IS are included in a truce brokered by the United States and Russia that came into force on February 27.

Washington has applauded Turkey's role in the anti-IS coalition but US officials on occasion have urged Ankara to do more.
Source :AFP