Missiles fired from Syria hit two Turkish border towns

Missiles fired from Syria hit two Turkish border towns
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By Robert Hackwill
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Attacks come after a day of Turkish artillery bombardments and airstrikes into Syria against Kurdish positions.

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Kilis in southeast Turkey has been hit by four rockets fired from over the Syrian border. The rockets fell on the city just before 2AM local time.

One person was injured.

In a second attack later on Sunday a missile fired from Syria hit the border town of Reyhanli, killing a Syrian national and wounding 32 people.

It is day two of what the Turks are calling Operation Olive Branch, a military campaign against Kurdish militant positions in northern Syria, which has seen artillery barrages and air strikes targeting the Afrin region.

"This is my house here. There was a very loud explosion. It woke us up. All the windows and doors came loose," said one local resident in Kilis.

The Turks say a ground offensive could begin on Sunday. Ankara wants to expel the Kurdish YPG militias it says are linked to the PKK, which has been fighting the Turks for more than 30 years. It also wants to drive out the anti-Assad Syrian Democratic Forces, which have a strong Kurdish core.

However this presents a major problem for NATO, as America is backing both groups as partners in the war against ISIL, so the Turks are fighting the allies of their allies, and at a time when relations with Washington are at or near an all-time-low.

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