Syrian consulate in Kazakhstan torched

The Syrian consulate in Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty has been seriously damaged by a fire which staff blamed on an arson attack linked to the conflict raging in the country, a report said Tuesday.

Kazakh private KTK television said the entire third floor of the building where the consul's office was situated and documents held had burned down entirely along with all the archives.

It said that staff believed attackers had thrown petrol bombs at the building and were convinced foul play was the cause as no valuables had been taken. There was no immediate comment from the local police.

Turkey: new refugee camp

Meanwhile, Turkey said it will build a new refugee camp for Syrian refugees that could accommodate 10,000 people, as hundreds more people fled the country.

The state-run Anadolu agency said 525 people crossed the border into Turkey late Monday, including a general and four colonels.

Turkey's government-run crisis management center said late Monday that a new camp is being set up near the town of Karkamis, in Gaziantep province which borders Syria.

Nearly 40,000 refugees are currently being sheltered in 10 camps near Turkey's 911-kilometer border with Syria.

Turkey also hosts and supports Syrian rebels and opposition groups, including the hardline Muslim Brotherhood.

(AFP, AP, Al-Akhbar)