Mortar attack from northern Syria kills three, including a child, in southeast Türkiye

A school was hit in the attack. (Photo: AA)

Three people were killed and six others were injured in a mortar attack targeting the Karkamış district of southeastern Antep city today (November 21), the interior minister has announced.

Three shells had been fired from Syria to the border town, according to the initial findings, Süleyman Soylu said during an event at the General Directorate of Security in Ankara, the capital.

One of the killed people was a child and another was a teacher, Soylu said, adding that the injured people were hospitalized.

One shell hit Nigar Tiryakioğlu Multi-Program High School, and windows of a primary school and a kindergarten were broken due to the explosions, National Education Minister Mahmut Özer said.

Schools in Karkamış will be suspended for a week, he added.

A mortar shell hit a truck in Karkamış. (Photo: MA)

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu condemned the attack on Twitter, saying, "I wish God's mercy for our citizens who lost their lives and a speedy recovery to those who were injured in the vile rocket attack carried out by the treacherous terrorist organization in the Karkamış district of Gaziantep."

Meral Akşener, leader of the İYİ (Good) Party, tweeted, "I wish God's mercy for our citizens who martyred in the vile attack of the terrorist organization in Antep and a speedy recovery for the injured."

The US Embassy in Türkiye also condemned the attack on Twiter: "The US Mission joins the people of Türkiye in mourning the three innocent lives lost today in Karkamış. We strongly condemn this violent and unjustified attack."

Airstrikes

It was the third such attack in day, which followed Türkiye's large-scale airstrikes targeting Syria's north and Iraq's Kurdistan region early yesterday.

Later in the day, a rocket attack reportedly launched from Syria's Tel Rifaat town injured eight security personnel in the border province of Kilis. Also, an attack targeted Karkamış, but no casualties were reported.

Türkiye's airstrikes targeted the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish armed group in Syria, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq, in retaliation for the deadly bomb attack in İstanbul on November 13, the National Defense Ministry said. Both groups had denied any involvement in the İstanbul bombing. (VK)