Plumes of smoke rise into the air over the Syrian border town of Azmarin.

Government forces bombarded the area with mortar shells - some dangerously landing on Turkish territory.

Turkish troops have been placed along its 900 km border with Syria in the past week after bullets and shells landed on their side of the border.

Turkey shelters nearly 100,000 Syrian refugees in camps and more are arriving daily.

Frightened residents here in Azmarin have been fleeing across the border.

NATO-member Turkey was once a close ally of embattled Syrian President al-Assad, but turned against him after his violent response to the Syrian uprising in which more than 30,000 people have died.