Stray mortar shell kills Turkish man near Syrian borders

A 35-year-old man was killed in the southeastern Turkish town of Ceylanpinar early on Monday when a stray mortar shell fired across the border from Syria struck a house near the frontier, security sources said.

The shell was fired during clashes between Kurdish and Islamist fighters 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.

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.