Turkey hands over 13 Syrian asylum-seekers to HTS in NW Syria
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Turkish authorities handed over on Thursday 13 Syrian asylum-seekers to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) through Bab al-Hawa border crossing in the north of Idlib, northwest Syria. They were arrested while attempting to cross the border to Turkey.
An exclusive source told North Press that 13 Syrian asylum-seekers, including four women, were arrested three weeks earlier when they tried to cross the border to Turkey near the village of Kherbet al-Joz in the northwest of Idlib.
The source added that the Turkish border guards handed over the detainees to the security forces of the border crossing. They took their iris scans and finger prints to prevent them from entering Turkey.
According to the source, the hand-over is the sixth of its kind in August, where the detainees are investigated with in Turkish territories.
A source within the administration of the crossing told North Press that the number of Syrians handed over in August by the Turkish authorities through Bab al-Hawa reached 98.
During 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, the Turkish border guards have assaulted and beaten 306 individuals and have used excessive force to prevent them from crossing the border.