Turkish Man Killed by Stray Bullet from Syria

A man was killed Saturday in a Turkish town by a stray bullet fired from across the border in war-torn Syria, the private NTV television network reported.

NTV, which cited no sources, said Ramazan Zeybel, a Turk, died in hospital in Ceylanpinar, which lies across the border from the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain that has seen fighting in recent weeks.

A foreign ministry official, contacted by Agence France Presse, could not immediately confirm the casualty.

The latest incident brought to four the number of people killed on the Turkish side of the border amid clashes between jihadists and Kurdish fighters which have raged in recent weeks after jihadists were expelled from the key town of Ras al-Ain.

Kurds make up 10 percent of Syria's total population, with most living in the north of the embattled country.

In mid-2012, Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces withdrew from majority Kurdish areas, and Kurdish militia became responsible for security there.

Although many Kurds are hostile to a regime that has oppressed them for decades, they have also tried to keep the rebels out of the areas they control in order to avoid sparking a confrontation with the army.

Turkey, which is currently home to some 500,000 Syrian refugees, has been retaliating whenever stray bullets or shells land in its soil.