The town of Akcakale "was
hit by artillery fire belonging to the Syrian regime forces," a
statement from Erdogan's office said, in the first clear assertion of
blame for the shelling.
"Our armed forces on the
border responded immediately to this atrocious attack within the rules
of engagement, and points in Syria determined by radar were hit with
artillery fire," it said. "Turkey, within the confines of the rules of
engagement and international law, will never leave these types of
provocations aimed at our national security unanswered."
The retaliatory artillery
fire marks a significant increase in tension between the two countries,
and CNN affiliate CNN Turk reported that witnesses observed
intermittent artillery fire from Turkey into Syria continuing into the
early hours Thursday.
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Syrian authorities are
"offering sincerest condolences on behalf of the Syrian government to
the family of the deceased and the Turkish people" and are investigating
the source of the gunfire, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News
Agency (SANA).
"In case of border
incidents that occur between any two neighboring countries, countries
and governments must act wisely, rationally and responsibly,
particularly since there's a special condition on the Syrian-Turkish
borders in terms of the presence of undisciplined terrorist groups
spread across the borders who have varying agendas and identities," said
Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi.
Opposition groups in
Syria said artillery fire from Turkey fell on a government military
center near Tal Abyad in northern Syria's Raqqa province. Turkish
military reinforcements are deployed near the border, they added.
The artillery shell fired into Turkey came from Tal Abyad, according to Turkey's semiofficial Anadolu news agency.
The North Atlantic Council, NATO's most senior political governing body, said it stands by Turkey.
The alliance "demands
the immediate cessation of such aggressive acts against an ally, and
urges the Syrian regime to put an end to flagrant violations of
international law," the council said after an emergency meeting. The
Syrian government has a recent pattern of "aggressive attacks" at NATO's
southeastern border, it said.
Akcakale Mayor
Abdulhakim Ayhan said earlier that three children, their mother and a
female neighbor died when a house was hit. Two police officers were
among those hurt, he said.
Nine people were injured
when the shell landed on the town in Sanliurfa province, near the
Syrian border, the Turkish prime minister's statement said.
Relations between Turkey
and Syria were already under strain over Damascus' response to an
18-month-long uprising against the government of President Bashar
al-Assad.
A senior U.S. defense
official said the Pentagon is watching the situation with some degree of
concern, "but at this point, there's nothing to suggest it's going to
become a broader conflict."
The official said the
reciprocal fire appeared to be a smaller-scale border skirmish rather
than a large-scale aerial bombardment.
"We think this is Turkey
basically saying, 'Don't mess with us. Whatever is going on inside
Syria, don't mess with us,'" the official told CNN.
Both nations would have an interest in not allowing the conflict to escalate, according to the official.
"In some ways, Turkey
would have more to lose in that kind of fight than Syria. They've
already got a potential refugee problem coming from Syria, and a fight
would only make that worse, the official said, adding that "Syria has so
many problems right now, the last thing the government needs is to add
another."
Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu called U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to express
his government's "deepest concern" about the shelling, U.N. spokesman
Martin Nesirky said. Before launching its military strike against Syrian
targets Wednesday, Turkey reached out to NATO and U.N. chiefs.
Ban issued a statement
expressing condolences to the shelling victims in Turkey. He called on
Syria to respect the territorial integrity of its neighbors.
The U.N. Security Council privately discussed the situation.
"The secretary-general
has repeatedly warned that the ongoing militarization of the conflict in
Syria is leading to tragic results for the Syrian people," Ban said.
"Today's incidents, where firing from Syria struck a Turkish town, again
demonstrated how Syria's conflict is threatening not only the security
of the Syrian people but increasingly causing harm to its neighbors."
Musa Ozer, who lives
next to the house where the artillery shell landed, was crying as he
spoke on the phone with CNN in the aftermath of the attack.
"The bomb fell on us. My
head's really not in the right place right now," he said. "My uncle was
injured and his wife died. What am I to make of this?"
Ayhan said the shell
landed on one house but debris from the impact scattered across a wider
area, leading to the high number of injuries.
He also voiced the
concern felt by residents of the southeastern town. "The people of
Akcakale are rising up against this. They live in fear," he told CNN
Turk. The mayor said the shell that caused the deaths was the second to
land Wednesday on Akcakale.
Salih Aydogdu, a local neighborhood mayor, called for authorities to act to prevent such incidents.
"Over the last month,
we've had these types of incident five or six times. This is a small
place; every time it happens, we can hear it. We are right on the border
with Syria," he said. "The people of Akcakale are upset. We want the
governor and the police to take precautions. This was Turkey's most
peaceful and tranquil area. Now we have neither peace nor tranquility."
For the past two weeks, schools have been closed in the town, and the teachers have left, he added.
Akcakale has been rocked by previous fighting just across the border in Syria.
Last month, Turkish
residents watched as Syrian shells crashed into Syrian territory, barely
a stone's throw away from the Turkish border fence.
The close artillery
barrage forced Turkish authorities to temporarily shut schools in
Akcakale and close off roads leading to the Syrian border.
Only two years ago,
Syria and Turkey enjoyed cozy bilateral relations. The neighbors had
instituted visa-free travel for their citizens, and cross-border trade
was booming.
Diplomatic relations
ruptured, however, months after the Syrian uprising began. Last March,
Turkey shuttered its embassy in Damascus and the Syrian government
declared Turkey's ambassador, Omer Onhon, persona non grata.
Erdogan has repeatedly
denounced Syrian President al-Assad, publicly calling on him to step
down after accusing him of massacring his own people. The Syrian
government, meanwhile, has accused Turkey of arming and funding Syrian
rebels.
CNN journalists have
witnessed light weapons in the form of assault rifles, rocket-propelled
grenades and machine guns coming from Turkey to Syrian rebels.
In addition, Turkey is
currently hosting more than 93,000 Syrian refugees in camps. Turkish
officials estimate another 40,000 to 50,000 unofficial refugees live in
Turkey outside refugee camps.
This is not the first deadly cross-border incident between the two neighbors.
On Tuesday, Turkish
officials announced at least two suspected Kurdish fighters were killed
after a clash broke out along the border in Turkey's Mardin province.
In June, the Syrian
government announced it had shot down a Turkish military reconnaissance
jet after it crossed into Syrian airspace.
Two Turkish pilots were
killed in the incident. The Turkish government continues to insist the
jet was shot down by a surface-to-air missile after it left Syrian
airspace -- claims that the Syrian government denies.
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