Cairo, June 19 (IANS): At least eight Syrian civilians were shot dead and eight injured by Turkish border guards while trying to cross into Turkey from northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Sunday.
Among the victims of the Saturday night shooting were four children and two women who tried to enter the Turkish territory through the Syrian border town of Kharabet al-Joz.
SOHR said the death toll may increase as some of the victims have suffered serious injuries.
Turkish border guards have killed 60 people, including eight children and seven women, since the beginning of the year, according to data released by the London-based NGO in May.
Shooting has become the common method that Turkish border guards use to respond to Syrians crossing the border since the start of the conflict in March 2011.