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Turkish artillery returns fire 'in kind' into Syria: military sources
People gather near what is said to be a hospital damaged by missile attacks in Azaz, Aleppo, Syria, February 15, 2016 in this still image taken from a video on a social media website. PHOTO BY REUTERS/Social Media Website via Reuters TV
16/02/2016
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish artillery has returned fire "in kind" into Syria, military sources said on Tuesday, marking its fourth straight day of shelling across the border.
Turkey on Monday warned Kurdish militia fighters in northern Syria they would face the "harshest reaction" if they tried to capture a town near the border, and accused Russia of a missile attack there that killed at least 14 civilians.
Further information about Tuesday's shelling was not immediately available.
An offensive by the Syrian army, supported by Russian bombing and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias, has brought it to within 25 km (15 miles) of Turkey's frontier.
The Kurdish YPG militia, which Turkey regards as a hostile insurgent force, has exploited the situation, seizing ground from Syrian rebels to extend its presence along the border.
Almost 50 civilians were killed when missiles hit at least five medical facilities and two schools in rebel-held areas of Syria on Monday, according to the United Nations, which called the attacks a blatant violation of international law.
At least 14 people were killed on Monday in the northern Syrian town of Azaz, the last rebel stronghold before the border with Turkey, when missiles hit a children's hospital and a school sheltering refugees.
(Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Hugh Lawson)
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