Turkish authorities deport 550 refugees to Syria
TEL ABYAD/IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Turkish authorities deported over 550 Syrian refugees, including women and children, to areas under the control of the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), via Tel Abyad and Bab al-Hawa border crossings.
An exclusive source informed North Press that the Turkish authorities handed over 219 Syrian refugees, including 47 women with their children via Tel Abyad crossing in northern Raqqa Governorate, northern Syria.
The source added that 340 Syrian refugees, including 26 women and their children, were deported by the Turkish authorities to areas under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS ــ formerly al-Nusra Front), in Idlib Governorate, northwest Syria.
The deportation process took place after obtaining their biometric data and fingerprints to prevent their permanent return, without informing their relatives residing in Turkey about their deportation.
According to the source, the Tunisian national was mistakenly deported by the Turkish authorities along with the Syrian refugees to areas held by the SNA in Idlib, based on charges of possessing a forged passport. The Tunisian national requested assistance from the Tunisian Embassy to verify the passport, but his pleas were ignored.
According to exclusive sources cited by North Press, the number of Syrian deportees through the crossings of Tel Abyad, Bab al-Salama, and Bab al-Hawa exceeded 1,420 individuals during the first three days of September.