Davutoglu made the announcement after receiving data provided by the Turkish General Staff.

“74 citizens have been killed and 337 citizens have been wounded as a result of stray bullets fired in the clashes on the Syrian side, Syria-linked terror incidents and illegal border crossings, according to data from the Turkish General Staff,” Davutoglu said.

The Turkish foreign minister said people living along the country’s border with Syria had been suffering from clashes in the Arab nation.

The remarks were made in response to a parliamentary question posed by the deputy head of the main Turkish opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Sezgin Tanrikulu.

Davutoglu added that measures had already been taken to ensure the safety of Turkish citizens’ life and property near the Syrian border.

The Turkish government is constructing a portable concrete wall in the southern province of Hatay in order to prevent illegal crossings and smuggling into the country.

This is while Turkey has been one of the most vocal supporters of the foreign-backed militants operating against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011.

Reports say over 150,000 people have lost their lives and millions of others have been displaced due to the turmoil.

According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

HH/HH