Three buses carrying Turkish pilgrims to Turkey from Saudi Arabia returning from the Islamic pilgrimage duty, were attacked at a check point in Syria, the Turkish Foreign Ministry reported on Monday.

Ankara / NationalTurk – Turkish Foreign Ministry informed according to initial reports that the armed attack occurred near the central city of Homs, where Syrian protesters and activists reported at least nine people killed by security forces on Sunday. The statement said two Turkish citizens were injured in the attack. The bus managed to reach the Turkish border. Turkish channels showed images of the passenger bus with one of its side windows broken at the Cizre border crossing inside Turkey.

Passengers on the bus said they had been told to disembark at a checkpoint by up to eight uniformed Syrian soldiers. One passenger said the soldiers started firing randomly at the pilgrims as they ran away. A Turkish foreign ministry official told Reuters that he was aware of an incident and the ministry was trying to establish the details.

It was not immediately clear when the incident happened, but it appeared to have taken place overnight. The wounded were being treated in a hospital in Antakya, in Turkey’s Hatay province just across the Turkish border.

Turkey Syria relations hit bottom

The attack is likely to further deteriorate Turkey’s relations with the Syrian administration. Turkey, once a close ally of the Syrian president, has gradually toughened its criticism of the Syrian regime for its brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests. Last month, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan heavily criticised Bashar al Assad, suggesting that the Arab Spring would affect Syria as the next country and Assad would eventually be ousted by Syrians. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Syrian President Bashar Al Assad Monday that his days as leader were numbered. Attacks on Turkish citizens become more common every day. After the Turkish embassy was attacked in last weeks protetsts by pro Assad militants and Turkish truck drivers has been assaulted, the latest armed attack on Turkish pilgrims the crisis is bigger than ever between Turkey and Syria.

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