Turkish border guards assault Syrians crossing border from Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – On Sunday evening, Turkish border guards attacked a group of Syrians on their attempt to cross Syrian-Turkish border from the countryside of Afrin, northwest Syria.
Local sources from the region told North Press that the Turkish border guards assaulted about 15 Syrians after arresting them while they were trying to cross to Turkey from the village of Hamam west of Jindires of Afrin countryside.
The sources added that the Turkish border guards severely beat the group with iron rods, causing the young men and an old one in his 60s to sustain bruises, as well as they forced the young men to collect waste from a yard where they were kept.
In March two young men were killed by the Turkish border guards and others sustained critical injuries and bruises while trying to cross to Turkey, this sparked a state of resentment among residents in northwest Syria who organized protests, condemning these incidents.
Most of those who want to access Turkey resort to illegal and dangerous smuggling routes in light of unavailable safe ones to either reunite with their families or secure jobs to provide for their families amid the dire economic conditions the country is witnessing.
Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press has counted the killing of 22 individuals and the wounding of 59 others and assaulting 191, including children and women since early 2023.