Nato has 'plans in place' to back Turkey in Syrian war

But the US-led military alliance urged both governments to "show restraint" as the conflict becomes more explosive.

Turkey has repeatedly fired into Syria over the past week in retaliation for stray army shelling that has hit its territory almost daily, most lethally last Wednesday when two women and three children were killed in the town of Akcakale near the border.

Damascus denies having intentionally targeted Turkey and most observers believe its army was targeting rebel forces near the border.

But residents of Akcakale have since said the town has been used by rebel organisations to funnel weapons and fighters into Syria, suggesting it may have been the real target.

Turkey has provided assistance to groups attempting to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad government and is vocal in demanding an international response to the civil war.

At the weekend it suggested a transition of power involving Syrian Vice-President Farouk al-Sharaa - prompting Damascus to condemn it for acting like "the Ottoman sultanate naming custodians" across the Middle East.

Ankara also faced criticism from Iraq on Monday after admitting that a Sunday air raid had targeted suspected Kurdish rebel camps in Iraqi territory.

Turkey has been waging war against Kurdish nationalist party PKK for decades and almost went to war with Syria for allegedly backing it during the 1990s.

Since Nato imposed a no-fly zone in Iraq after the first Gulf war it has routinely bombed targets in the country.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabagh said it understood the reasons for the raid but "attacks on Iraqi territories are not acceptable."

Baghdad has fallen out with Ankara recently over the latter's sheltering of its Sunni Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi, who has been sentenced to death by the Nouri al-Maliki government.

When Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Kirkuk to meet Iraqi tribal leaders in August Iraq accused him of meddling in its affairs.