ATME, Syria: A Syrian warplane bombarded the village of Atme near the northwestern border with Turkey on Monday, prompting hundreds of panicked residents to flee, an AFP journalist said.
The fighter jet overflew Atme three times at a low altitude and dropped at least six bombs or rockets into populated areas near a school that houses a rebel command centre, without causing any casualties, witnesses said.
The journalist observed six points of impact on three houses, a garden and a road. Residents spoke of three bombs while others said rockets caused the damage.
The rebel command centre, which also houses the Damascus Eagles brigade of the Free Syrian Army, was not affected.
A warplane again bombed the area of Atme and the nearby border crossing of Bab al-Hawa at 3:00pm (1300 GMT). The jet made four sorties, bombing twice, each time using decoys first to avoid possible anti-aircraft fire.
Two plumes of smoke rose over the hills around Bab al-Hawa, the reporter said.
With each overflight, the aircraft verged on Turkish airspace. People familiar with the terrain claimed it had briefly crossed into Turkey, from where the hum of high altitude jets could be heard.
"The MIG flew very low. It made three passes," according to Mahmud, the owner of one of the damaged houses.
One of the missiles plummeted into his garden, leaving a large crater in the ground, shattering windows and scattering furniture.
"The whole family was in the house. Thank God, nobody was hurt," he told AFP.
"This is what Bashar (al-Assad) sent us to solve the problems of Syria. And thanks to (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan for this no-fly zone," he said sarcastically, referring to the Syrian president and the Turkish prime minister.
The village of Atme, just two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the border, was once home to 7,000 people.
Ongoing violence has forced many to seek shelter in a refugee camp in nearby Qaa village, or even in makeshift camps in the surrounding olive groves.
The bombing did not hit the camps but caused a mass panic among the refugees, hundreds of whom climbed over barbed wire fences for safety in neighbouring Turkey.
"The Turkish border guards fired in the air, but it was useless. Hundreds of families, with bundles on their heads, entered Turkey," said a witness.
By the late afternoon, the guards ordered the refugees to return back the way they came. With no alternative, most returned to the muddy, cold and unhygienic tents on the other side.
The region in Idlib province is a hub for the rebellion and Atme and its environs in particular are home to numerous rebel groups.
- AFP/fa
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Syria warplanes hit village near Turkey
