Istanbul, 19 March 2021 (Anadolu News)

Turkey’s president on Friday condemned an incident in which rockets fired from across the Syrian border landed in the southern Turkish province of Kilis. “Of course the attack on Kilis province was unacceptable,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters following Friday prayers in the metropolis of Istanbul.

“In response to this [rocket attack], we’ve retaliated, are retaliating, and we will continue to do so,” he added.

No one was injured by the rockets, which caused no damage when they fell in the province on Thursday.

Turning to recent remarks by US President Joe Biden about his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Erdogan said the comments do not suit a head of state. In an interview that aired Wednesday, Biden called Putin a “killer” who has “no soul,” adding that he will “pay a price” for interference in US affairs.

In early 2016, more than 70 rockets were fired into Kilis from across the Syrian border by Daesh/ISIS, killing at least 21 people, but in the years since, the terrorist group was largely driven from the region by Turkish military operations.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and to enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).