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Turkish Muslim pilgrims' bus 'shot at in Syria' | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A bus, part of a convoy carrying Turkish pilgrims, has come under gun attack in northern Syria, Turkish media and officials say. | |
At least two people, one of them a bus driver, were injured in the attack near the flashpoint city of Homs, they say. | |
The passengers, who had attended the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, later arrived back in Turkey. | |
Private news agency Dogan showed images of the vehicle with one of its side windows broken. | |
"We confirm that an attack took place in Syria," a foreign ministry official told AFP news agency, without giving any further information, but reiterated Turkey's warning to its citizens not to visit Syria. | "We confirm that an attack took place in Syria," a foreign ministry official told AFP news agency, without giving any further information, but reiterated Turkey's warning to its citizens not to visit Syria. |
Another driver, Erhan Surmeli, said the bus had been carrying 25 butchers back to Turkey from Saudi Arabia following the festival of Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice, which starts after the Hajj (pilgrimage). | |
"We had stopped at a checkpoint," he told the Associated Press news agency by telephone. | |
"Syrian soldiers emerged from behind sandbags and cursed [Turkish Prime Minister] Recep Tayyip Erdogan when we told them we were Turks. Then they suddenly opened fire at the bus." | |
Tensions have been running high between Syria and Turkey as Ankara has become increasingly vocal in its criticism of President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on anti-government protests in his country. | Tensions have been running high between Syria and Turkey as Ankara has become increasingly vocal in its criticism of President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on anti-government protests in his country. |