One Killed By Syrian Rocket At Turkish School

Kilis, 9 Rabiul Akhir 1437/19 January 2016 (MINA) –  At least one woman was killed on Monday in a suspected Katyusha rocket attack on a school in southern Turkey, officials said.

The woman, a school janitor, died from her injuries following at least one explosion at Eyup Gokce Imam Middle School, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reported, quoting Anadolu Agency

She worked at a primary school that formed part of the same complex of four schools, according to a statement from the provincial governor’s office.

Another three wounded people, including at least one female pupil, are still being treated at Kilis State Hospital.

The blast in Kilis, a city around 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Syrian border, came at around 9.30 a.m. local time (0730GMT).

An Anadolu Agency video showed blood stains in the school’s entrance hall and a small crater in the school’s garden.

The force of the blast seemed to have splintered the trunk of a tree and severely damaged a vehicle while windows were blown out and the school’s walls marked by shrapnel.

The governor’s office said the school premises were hit by a “rocket” thought to have been fired from Syria. Two other projectiles landed on nearby waste land.

“A female janitor working at Nazli Omer Cetin Primary School died in the blast, while a female seventh grade student in the other school was taken to Kilis State Hospital and is under surgery,” the governorship said.

Katyusha is a name applied to a range of rockets fired from multiple, vehicle-mounted tubes. The weapon has little guidance but can hit targets up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) away.

The remains of the rockets have been taken for examination by police.

Kilis lies just across the border from Daesh-controlled Syrian territory.

A local security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the launch site of the rockets had been located by military radar and the army had responded “massively” and neutralized the target.

Turkish territory has often been hit by artillery fire as the Syrian civil war rages just a few kilometers to the south. Such incidents are usually answered with retaliatory fire from the Turkish army.

Last week, Turkey was hit by a suicide bomber who killed ten tourists in Istanbul in an attack attributed to Daesh. Following the attack, Turkish tanks and artillery bombarded Daesh positions in Syria and Iraq. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said around 200 Daesh militants were killed. (T/P010/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)