UN Security Council Condemns Strike On Turkey

The UN Security Council has condemned "in the strongest terms" Syria's shelling of a Turkish town, which killed five women and children.

A council press statement late on Thursday said: "This incident highlighted the grave impact the crisis in Syria has on the security of its neighbours and on regional peace and stability."

The council demanded an immediate end to such violations of international law and called on the Syrian government "to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours".

The Security Council, which has been deeply divided over Syria, managed to bridge differences between the US and its Western allies who were demanding a strong text and Syria's most important ally Russia, which tried to weaken the text.

The statement came after Syria's mortar strike on the Turkish town of Akcakale killed five civilians and wounded at least 10 others.

Turkey returned fire, and its parliament voted to authorise military operations inside Syria. However, the country's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the pounding of Syrian targets was just "a warning".

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged both countries to exercise "maximum restraint".

His spokesman Martin Nesirky said: "The secretary general calls on all concerned to abandon the use of violence, exercise maximum restraint and exert all efforts to move toward a political solution.

"As the situation inside Syria deteriorates yet further ... the risks of regional conflict and the threat to international peace and security are also increasing."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the shelling was "completely unacceptable, not only for Turkey but for the international community as a whole".