Turkey deports 660 Syrian refugees
ALEPPO – IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Turkish authorities forcibly deported, on Monday, 660 Syrian refugees, including women, through the border crossings of Bab al-Salama, Tel Abyad, and Bab al-Hawa in northern and northwestern Syria.
“The deportees were handed over to the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), at those crossings”, administrative sources at the crossings told North Press.
The sources explained that 130 Syrians were handed over by the Turkish side to the SNA at Tel Abyad crossing north of Raqqa Governorate, northern Syria, while 180 Syrians were handed over through Bab al-Salama crossing in Aleppo countryside. The deportees were transferred to shelter centers for investigation.
Turkey also handed over 350 refugees to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front) through Bab al-Hawa crossing, according to the sources.
The sources noted that the deportation process took place after the Turkish authorities saved all personal documents from the deportees, and they collected their fingerprints and iris scanning, to ensure they do not return to Turkey.
Turkey continues to deport Syrian refugees. Deportees exceeded 10,000 last month, and the toll continues to rise.