Turkish officials said they were sure the mortar round that struck on Saturday morning was fired by pro-government forces, and not the rebels who have been fighting for nearly 19 months to oust President Bashar Assad.

"A mortar round struck today (Saturday) at 7:00 am (04:00 GMT) about 50 meters inside Turkish territory in an open space about 700 meters from the village of Guvecci and about 300 meters from a police station."

The Turkish army responded with four rounds of mortars, the statement said, adding that the Syrian fire had come from loyalists who were firing at rebels near the border.

[link to www.naharnet.com]