Turkish border guards detain 5 Syrians in Syria’s Idlib
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Turkish border guards detained on Sunday five people while trying to cross the Syrian-Turkish border, from Kherbet al-Joz axis, northwest Idlib, northwest Syria, to get into Turkey illegally.
An exclusive source told North Press that the arrested people were transported to the surveillance center in the village of Kherbet al-Joz.
One of the detained people belongs to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front), according to the source.
HTS militants are fleeing towards Afrin Region, northwest Syria, and Turkey to avoid the security operation conducted by the HTS against them, according to the source.
This is the third HTS militant arrested by the Turkish border guards.
The HTS recently carried out a security operation against its own personnel, accusing them of dealing with the US-led Coalition.
On July 29, the HTS arrested some of its own militants, including a military official, in the city of Idlib and its southern countryside, on charges of working with the Global Coalition.
In another incident, the Turkish border guards assaulted on Saturday night a group of Syrian asylum seekers while trying to get into Turkey from Afrin.
A local source told North Press that the border guards severely beat 18 people, including three women, as they were trying to get into Turkey from the village of Dayr Sawwan, northeast the city of Afrin.
The border guards handed them to Military Police, affiliated with Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka Syrian National Army (SNA), that transported them to the city of Azaz, some 45 km north of Aleppo, where they belong, the source added.
They were severely injured, as one of them was transported to a hospital in Azaz.
Incidents of attacking, torturing, arresting, and detaining Syrians trying to cross into Turkish territory by the Turkish border guards are frequent.
On July 26, the border guards assaulted three Syrians, and detained five others while attempting to cross the border into Turkey, from Idlib.
As of the first half of 2023, the number of affected Syrian asylum seekers has reached 452 individuals, including 20 children and 26 women. Tragically, 25 people were killed and 121 others were injured during direct targeting by live bullets while attempting to cross the Syrian-Turkish border. In addition, Turkish border guards have assaulted and beat 306 individuals and have used excessive force to prevent them from crossing the border.