‘Turkish officer killed at Syria border’
Iran Press TV
Thu May 2, 2013 8:37PM GMT
Turkish officials say one security officer has been killed and six others wounded in a clash with an armed group at the Syrian border.
The incident at the border gate at Akcakale in Sanliurfa province, opposite Syria's Tel Abyad gate, happened on Thursday, Reuters reported.
The clash started after a large group of Syrians who had been refused entry into the Turkish territory opened fire across the border.
At least 10 people, including civilians, have also been injured in the violence.
There have been conflicting reports as to the identity of the group. Some have described them as smugglers, while others have said they were civilians who were trying to escape the violence.
Some sources also said that members of so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) were among the group.
Militants from the terrorist group regularly cross from Turkey, where they have been given sanctuary, into Syria to launch attacks on the Syrian Army and then return.
Syria has been experiencing a deadly unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the chaos.
Damascus has repeatedly stated that the West and its regional allies including Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are supporting the militant groups in Syria.
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad recently said if the militants take power in the country, they could destabilize the entire Middle East for decades.
“If the unrest in Syria leads to the partitioning of the country, or if the terrorist forces take control… the situation will inevitably spill over into neighboring countries and create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond.”
The turmoil has also taken its toll on the humanitarian situation in Syria.
On April 18, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos and High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council that a quarter of Syria’s more than 22 million people are displaced within the country and 1.3 million have fled to other states in the Middle East and North Africa.
MN/HN
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