Border gate shut on Turkish side after clashes in Syrian town

Turkey has closed one of its border gates to Syria after an Al-Qaeda-affiliated rebel group clashed with units of the Free Syrian Army in the Syrian town of Azaz, a Turkish official said on Thursday. The Oncupinar border gate near the Turkish frontier has been closed for security reasons, “as there is still confusion about what is happening on the Syrian side,” the official told Reuters. “All humanitarian assistance that normally goes through the gate has ceased.” Turkey allows Syrian refugees to cross into its territory, but from time to time it temporarily closes its border crossings following clashes near the frontier.