Mortar bomb fired from Syria kills five Turkish people

A mortar bomb fired from Syria landed in a residential district of the southeastern town of Akcakale, Turkey, killing five and wounding at least 13 other people yesterday afternoon. As a result, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan changed his schedule and met with relevant ministers and their advisors. Erdogan was also informed by Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Ozel and Sanliurfa Governor Celalettin Guvenc. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also canceled his official meetings, convened the Foreign Ministry bureaucrats and held separate phone conversations with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, UN and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to brief them about the incident and the ensuing developments. Following these international phone talks, Davutoglu proceeded to the Prime Ministry Official Residence to hold a comprehensive evaluation meeting with Erdogan, Gen. Ozel, Deputy Prime Ministers Bekir Bozdag and Besir Atalay, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin, Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin and the Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar. During the meeting, Turkey’s rights stemming from the international law were discussed.