CEYLANPINAR, Turkey: Syrian aircraft on Monday bombed the strategic border town of Ras al-Ain, killing at least four people, wounding many others and sending panicked residents fleeing across to Turkey, according to an AFP photographer.
A bomb exploded less than 150 metres (yards) from the Turkish border, with the force of the blast blowing out windows in houses in the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar just across the border.
The blast left four Syrians dead and wounded scores of others, around 20 of them seriously, according to the Anatolia news agency.
"There are wounded on the Syria side but also in Ceylanpinar because of the windows blown out by the explosion," Anatolia quoted Ceylanpinar Mayor Ismail Arslan as saying.
"The ambulances are transporting the wounded without stopping," he said. "There is bomb damage everywhere."
The strike targeted a food factory which rebels seized in the past several days, Anatolia said.
Ras al-Ain is one of just two Turkish border crossings still controlled by the Syrian army. Rebels fighting to bring down President Bashar al-Assad have captured four others while a seventh is controlled by Kurdish militia.
Syrian forces and rebels have been involved in furious fighting in the area over the past week, sending 9,000 Syrians fleeing to Turkey in a single day to escape the violence. (AFP)
