Death toll mounts as IS rockets rain down on Kilis

A fourth Syrian child has died in the southern Turkish town of Kilis, bringing the total death toll from Islamic State (IS) group shelling to five.  

The child died in hospital less than a day after IS rockets fell on the town, killing three Syrian children as well as a Syrian shepherd.

The children had lost their fathers in the civil war and had come to Turkey with their mothers around two years ago, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

Five Syrian nationals were also injured in the incident, as was a 14-year-old Turkish boy, local media said.

Monday’s incident was only the latest to hit the border town which has increasingly been hit by missiles fired from IS-held territory in Syria.

At least 11 people have now been killed so far in strikes on Kilis from Syria but this was the heaviest toll recorded so far in a single day.

Kilis is the only town in Turkey where refugees from Syria's five-year civil war now outnumber local residents.

Last week, Kilis residents held protests over the inability of local authorities to protect them, prompting a visit by Turkish security chief Hakan Fidan, the head of the country's National Intelligence Organisation.

Turkey has responded to each of the strikes on Kilis by destroying IS military positions in Syria. Turkish officials have repeatedly lauded the hospitality of people in Kilis towards Syrians as an example of how Turks are hosting the 2.7 million Syrians who have fled their country's civil war to Turkey.

IS is not part of the fragile Syrian ceasefire agreed in late February, with opposition and government forces continuing to clash with the militants. While Syrian rebel groups managed to drive IS from the border in recent weeks, IS were able to push back with fighting ongoing.