The Turkish armed forces have attacked a convoy of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in northern Syria in retaliation for cross-border fire, destroying three vehicles.

The Turkish armed forces have attacked a convoy of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in northern Syria in retaliation for cross-border fire, destroying three vehicles, Turkish media reported Wednesday.

The attack came after a mortar shell fired from Syria landed in Turkish territory during clashes between ISIL and the Free Syrian Army, reports said, adding that a pick-up truck, a lorry and a bus were destroyed in the Turkish retaliation on Tuesday evening.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Turkish media have cited a two-day escalation in hostilities between the sides, but the Turkish military has only retaliated with tanks and artillery fire.

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors, mainly the Saudi Arabia and Turkey, of orchestrating the conflict by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.

Today hundreds of armed groups, including terrorist Takfiri brigades affiliated with Al-Qaeda, are battling both the national army and each other, complicating any effort to reach a political settlement. This in turns, frightens other states that Takfiri trends might be exported to their territories along with terrorist attacks.