Turkish man killed by stray shell fired across border from Syria

A 35-year-old man was killed when a stray mortar shell fired across the border from Syria hit a house in the town of Ceylanpianar in Southeastern Turkey on Monday morning. The shell was fired during clashes between Kurdish fighters and armed rebels in the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain, the sources said. Five people have now been killed in Turkey in similar incidents since clashes began in the area in July, Voice of Russia reported. Authorities closed schools in the town and warned locals not to leave their houses after the shell landed. In October last year a shell fired from Syria hit the Turkish border town of Akcakale, killing five Turkish citizens. Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country. Tens of hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes. The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad. Tel Aviv, Washington, Ankara and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots to topple President Bashar al-Assad, who is well known in the world for his anti-Israeli stances.