The Turkish military immediately retaliated after two mortars fired from northern Syria fell in a minefield in the southern border town of Kilis on Wednesday.
The mortars fell in the rural Oylum and Akıncılar villages in Kilis.
The Kilis Governor's Office rejected claims about the mortars, saying that they did not target Türkiye but were accidentally fired after clashes between two opposition groups in Azaz, Syria.
The incident sparked concerns as the mortars exploded in a minefield in Akıncılar village, leading to a fire. Firefighters were dispatched to extinguish the fire, while Türkiye further ramped up security measures on the Syria border following the incident.
No casualties were reported, but residents of the village fled the area out of fear.
Occasional stray rockets and mortars land in southern and southeastern Türkiye due to the conflict in neighboring Syria. Despite a cease-fire in the country, violence still persists in the area.
Kilis and Gaziantep, which are home to large numbers of Syrian refugees, have suffered repeatedly from cross-border shelling. Particularly in 2016 when rocket fire was an almost daily occurrence in small towns.
On Aug. 24, 2016, Türkiye declared that it was exercising its rights of self-defense as stipulated under the U.N. Charter Article 51, and launched Operation Euphrates Shield to clear terrorist groups along Türkiye's Syria border, including the YPG and Daesh.
Türkiye has reiterated that it will not allow an independent terrorist state to exist along its borders.
