Turkey deports hundreds of Syrian refugees to northern Syria
ALEPPO, IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Turkish authorities deported on Sunday 550 Syrian refugees through the Tel Abyad, Bab al-Salam, and Bab al-Hawa border crossings, in northern Syria.
Administrative sources at the crossings told North Press that the Turkish authorities deported more than 550 Syria refugees, including women and their children, through the three crossings and handed them to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and to the Turkish-backed Military Police of the Syrian National Army (SNA).
The sources added that SNA factions received around 75 Syrians via Tel Abyad crossing in northern Raqqa and received 185 others through Bab al-Salam in the countryside of Aleppo and transferred them to shelters where they will be investigated.
As for HTS, which controls much of northwestern Syria, it received 290 Syrian refugees, including women and their children, according to administrative sources at the crossing.
The sources indicated that the deportation process took place after the Turkish authorities collected all personal identification documents of the refugees. The authorities also took their biometric data to ensure that they would not return to Turkish territory.
Though Syria is still unsafe for returns, Turkey tries to get rid of refugees by forcibly deporting them. The Turkish authorities have intensified the forced deportation of Syrians as part of what they call voluntary return to safe areas in northern Syria, according to media and documentary reports.