'Turkey will resolutely protect its borders, people'

By Mumin Altas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey will resolutely continue protecting its borders and people, the country's vice president said Tuesday in the wake of a rocket attack in Turkey's southeast which injured six people.

"Our armed forces immediately responded to the attack and from now on will respond with more severity," Fuat Oktay said at a Turkey-Uzbekistan Business Forum in Ankara.

"Turkey will resolutely continue protecting its borders and people," he added.

Six people, including one child, were injured on Monday when one of two rockets fired from Syria hit a residential area in Ceylanpinar in the southeastern Sanliurfa province.

On Twitter, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said in response to the attack that seven targets were destroyed on the Syrian side.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Turkey has decried the cross-border threat from the terrorist groups Daesh and the PKK/YPG.

At least 319 people have lost their lives in Daesh terror attacks in Turkey, where the terror organization has targeted civilians in suicide bomb, rocket, and gun attacks, including cross-border attacks in 2016.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

Since 2016, Turkey has led two military operations in northern Syria to clear the region of terrorists, including those of the PKK/YPG and Daesh.