Syrian forces advance on IS-held air base

The Observatory said that at least two women and four children were among those killed in the shootings overnight as the refugees sought to cross into Turkey from the border village of Kherbet al-Jouz. It said numerous victims had recently fled the northern Isis-held town of Jarabulus.

The Observatory notes that this is not the first time Syrians trying to cross the border have been shot and killed by Turkish border guards.

As a group of seven to eight people climbed over concrete walls to cut off wire fences, soldiers initially fired shots on the air, and then at the bottom of the wall, which led the trespassers to run away to the nearby woods, they added.

It said Timoshenkov was protecting an area where the Russian military was handing out humanitarian aid to residents in Homs province on Wednesday and opened fire to stop a vehicle speeding toward the site.

But in its statement, the National Coalition expressed its “surprise and condemnation after this awful tragedy against our brothers fleeing the regime”.

Eight Syrians including children have been shot dead as they tried to cross into Turkey from war-torn northern Syria, a watchdog has claimed.

Turkey is hosting almost 3 million Syrian refugees but has essentially closed its borders and is only letting select refugees, mainly those needed urgent medical care, enter the country.

Turkey has repeatedly denied accusations of its security forces firing on Syrians trying to cross the frontier, which has been closed for several months. In the Kilis province alone, a total of 20 people have been killed and nearly 70 others wounded by rockets which fell inside Turkish territory.

“There are fierce clashes now and at least nine pro-government fighters were killed”, said the Observatory’s Rami Abdel Rahman.