A Turkish army vehicle takes position at the border with Syria.[/caption]The Turkish army says it has responded to fire coming from the Syrian side of the border.
"The Turkish army fired at predetermined targets near Syria's Tal-Khalaf village (southwest of Ras al-Ain) with machine guns as part of the rules of engagement," The Turkish General Staff said in a statement issued on Friday.
Earlier in the day, Turkey deployed military units along its border with Syria following clashes between a Syrian Kurdish armed party and al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front, said a report by TurkeysHurriyet Daily News.
The report added that Turkish F-16 jets and unmanned aerial vehicles had been scrambled from southeastern Turkey for patrolling over the border.
Fierce clashes continue in northern Syria between Kurdish fighters and Takfiri militants who accuse all other Muslims of being infidels.
Also on Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the country would respond to any incident on its borders immediately.
"From now on, we will give necessary response to any threat, regardless of whatever group it comes from," the Turkish foreign minister stated.
The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
Damascus says the West and its regional allies, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants.
In an interview broadcast on Turkish television in April, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that if the militants take power in Syria, they could destabilize the entire Middle East region for decades.
If the unrest in Syria leads to the partitioning of the country, or if the terrorist forces take control the situation will inevitably spill over into neighboring countries and create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond, he stated.
By Press TV
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