Syrian Cross-Border Mortar Strike Kills at Least Five in Turkey

October 03, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

At least five people, including four children, have been killed when a mortar fired from Syria hit southeastern Turkey. The mayor of Akcakale told television reporters that Wednesday's blast left another nine people seriously wounded. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO secretary-general, has condemned the strike. Al Jazeera's Caroline Malone reports.

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Akçakale

Akçakale is a town and district of Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey. It lies near the border checkpoint on the road D.885 from Şanlıurfa to Tell Abyad in Syria. The mayor is Abdülhakim Ayhan. The majority of the city is Arab. Explore this topic

Syria-Turkey relations

Syrian–Turkish relations have long been strained. Turkey shares its longest common border with Syria; various geographic and historical links also tie the two neighboring states together. This friction has been due to disputes including the self annexation of the Hatay Provinc... Explore this topic

Syrian Civil War

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing armed conflict in Syria between forces loyal to the Syrian Ba'ath Party government and those seeking to oust it. The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. These demonstrations were pa... Explore this topic

Turkey

Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country, located mostly on Anatolia in Western Asia and on East Thrace in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armen... Explore this topic

Syria

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest. A country of fertile plains, high mountains and deserts, i... Explore this topic

Mortar (weapon)

A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber. Explore this topic

Ahmet Davutoglu

Professor Ahmet Davutoğlu is a Turkish diplomat who has been Foreign Minister of Turkey since 2009. He is also a political scientist, an academic and an ambassador at large, and he served for a time as chief advisor to the Prime Minister. Explore this topic

Civilian casualties

Civilian casualties is a military term describing civilian persons killed, injured, or imprisoned by military action. Civilian casualties can be associated with the outcome of any form of military action regardless of whether civilians were targeted directly or not. This diffe... Explore this topic

Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a Danish politician who serves as the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009. Rasmussen was the leader of the Liberal Party, and headed a center right-wing coaliti... Explore this topic

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree... Explore this topic

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Akçakale

Syria-Turkey relations

Syrian Civil War