Turkish border guards keep shooting Syrians

HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – On Saturday evening, the Turkish border guards shot dead a young man on the border between Syria and Turkey in Hasakah Governorate while trying to cross the border to Turkey.

A local source told North Press that Manaf al-Owayed, 30, was killed by the Turkish border guards in Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) countryside, north of Hasakah.

Sere Kaniye has been under the control of Turkish forces and Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), since October 2019, after the Turkish so-called “Peace Spring” military operation to push away the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) under the pretext of protecting the “Turkish national security”. 

Al-Owayed hails from the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, and was residing in an area under the control of the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions.

Most Syrians attempting the cross into Turkey are resorting to dangerous smuggling routes, as they face dire economic and living conditions, especially in SNA-held areas.   

On January 24, a young man from Sere Kaniye was shot to death by the Turkish border guards.   

Reporting by Farouq Hamo