Fragile Syria-Turkey border hit by further Isis rocket violence

A Turkish town has been struck by mortar fire from Syria

John Moore/Getty Images

Three people were killed in the Turkish town of Kilis on Friday, 23 April, as Islamic State (Isis) fired five rockets from the nearby Syrian border. One of the victims was a 14-year-old boy, according to Anadolu Agency, while a man injured in an earlier rocket attack died in hospital from his injuries.

Five more people were killed on 18 April, bringing the total number of deaths from rocket attacks in the town to about 10 people.

The rockets were reportedly launched from the Isis-controlled town of al-Bab in Syrian territory. Kilis lies less than five miles from the border and has hit by several rocket attacks during the past month.

Earlier this month, the Turkish army retaliated, shelling sites in northern Syria in response to the cross-border rocket fire. Turkey has also asked for more support from its Nato allies to reinforce the border.
Kilis lies 40 miles north of the city of Aleppo, where government forces and Islamic State (Isis) militants are engaged in fierce fighting for control of Syria's largest city.

According to Deutsche Welle, Kilis is one of a number of Turkish border towns suffering under the strain of an influx of Syrian refugees, many of whom have fled Isis settle in towns and refugee camps along the Turkish border. The newspaper has reported that half of the town's population now consists of people fleeing the civil war.

The latest rocket fire highlights the fragile nature of Turkey's border with Syria, and follows a series of border clashes and skirmishes. The rising tension on the border comes as Turkey and the European Union attempt to reach a deal on resettling refugees.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the Turkish border province of Gaziantep on Saturday to discuss the migrant crisis with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, as pressure increases on the European Union to find a solution to the crisis.