Syria

Turkey retaliates at Syria for a fifth day

Turkey has returned artillery fire at Syria for a fifth consecutive day, after mortar from Syria landed in the Turkish border town of Akcakale.

RT,

7 October, 2012

The shell landed some 200 meters inside Turkey, AP reported.

According to Reuters, it hit near a plant belonging to the Turkish Grain board, several hundred meters away from the city center.

A short time later, at least six mortars could be heard fired from Turkey.

Abdulhakim Ayhan, the mayor of Akcakale, confirmed that Turkish artillery immediately returned fire.

No casualties have been reported.

It's the latest move in the already tense relationship between the neighboring countries.

The crisis began on Wednesday, when Syrian mortar shells killed a woman and four children from the same family in Akcakale. The shells also wounded at least 13 people.

The incident triggered artillery strikes by neighboring Turkey. Ankara has deployed additional troops to its southern border with Syria.

"Many critics believe these shells are being fired deliberately. This border area is controlled by rebels and it is possible that theyre firing these rounds to provoke turkey to go to NATO and call for foreign intervention," RT correspondent in the region Paula Slier said.

Meanwhile, Turkey's prime minister says that he won’t allow the events to go unprovoked and will declare war if necessary – leading to growing concern that the conflict will result in regional instability.

http://rt.com/news/turkey-syria-fire-conflict-855/

Car bomb near police HQ in central Damascus kills at least one

An official within the Syrian government claims a car bomb has exploded outside the police headquarters building in the capital, Damascus.

RT,

7 October, 2012

The country's state news agency said at least one person has died in the attack, and seven others were wounded.

Local residents also reported hearing a large explosion. Some witnesses also said they heard heavy gunfire immediately after the explosion.

Syrian State TV has called the blast 'a terrorist attack'.

A government official told The Associated Press the blast was caused by a car bomb in the Fahameh district near police headquarters. He added that the explosion damaged nearby cars and buildings.

There have also been unconfirmed reports of a second blast that took place outside the criminal security building, also located in the heart of the Syrian capital.

http://rt.com/news/syria-damascus-police-bomb-862/