DAMASCUS: Syria's government says Turkish artillery shelling inside Syria is an "outrageous violation" of international law.

In a statement published by the state-run SANA news agency Saturday, it accused Turkey of committing "crimes" against the Syrians by firing artillery shells at areas in the northern province of Aleppo.

It added that a number of civilians were injured by the artillery fire that targeted Tel Rifaat, Malikiyeh and other towns.

Turkey has in the past week kept up a cross-border artillery shelling campaign against US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia positions in Syria. It has also threatened ground action, saying it was exercising its right to self-defense and responding to fire from Syrian soil.

The main Kurdish group in Syria has denied firing at Turkey from Syria.