Syrian refugees wait at Turkish border

Syrian refugees mass on both sides of the Turkish border, with thousands waiting to get in, while dozens who've made it beg authorities to allow them.

Syrians walk towards the Turkish border at the Bab al-Salam border gate, Syria

Syrians walk towards the Turkish border at the Bab al-Salam border gate, Syria Source: AAP

Tens of thousands of Syrians have sought refuge in Turkey, while those who have already made the crossing waited and worried about the fate of their families on the other side of the border.

The border gate at Oncupinar, near the southern city of Kilis, was closed on Saturday, but that did not stop dozens of Syrians from queuing to beg Turkish authorities to allow in their relatives from the other side.

Syrians are feeling an intensifying Russian assault around the city of Aleppo, and aid workers said on Friday it could soon fall under a full government siege.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said 15,000 people fleeing Aleppo had arrived at Turkey's border, but some media reports put that number significantly higher.

Sitting in his car with his four children right inside the Turkish side of the border, 43-year-old Ahmet Sadul was hoping to get back into Syria so he could find his relatives. A native of Syria's Azaz, he now lives in Kilis.

"Now there are thousands of people from Azaz all waiting on the other side. They escaped from Russians. I want to go and take my relatives. They are bombing Syrians all the time."

"Many people have left Aleppo. But still there are many civilians there. If Russia is successful, we are all dead."

Russia's intervention with air strikes to help longtime ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has tipped the war in Damascus' favour, reversing gains rebels made last year.

Turkey, which has taken in more than 2.5 million refugees fleeing the Syrian war, wants Assad out and says only his removal can bring long-term peace.

Ankara has had an open-door policy to refugees since the start of the civil war, although some of the borders do get shut at times for security or other reasons. Oncupinar has been officially shut since March due to security concerns, although authorities occasionally open it to take in refugees.

Abdulkerim Hannura, a 32-year-old customs police officer who works on the Syrian side of the border, said Russian warplanes had been bombing Syrian villages for 15 days.

"People are coming to the border and want to cross into Syria with the hope that they can sneak their relatives back into Turkey," he said.

"We are trying to save our relatives, our families."


Share
3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world