Turkish authorities deport 80 Syrian refugees to Syria’s Idlib
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Turkish authorities deported on Sunday at least 80 Syrian refugees, including 12 women and their children, to Idlib Governorate, northwestern Syria, through Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, in Idlib.
“The Turkish authorities handed over 80 Syrian refugees, including 12 women and their children, to the administration of Bab al-Hawa crossing, run by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front), a private source told North Press.
The deportation process occurred after obtaining all their identification documents, fingerprints, forcibly preventing them from returning permanently to Turkish territory. Furthermore, their relatives residing within Turkey were not informed, according to the source.
An exclusive source told North Press that more than 2,200 Syrian refugees were deported from Turkey to Syria via Bab al-Hawa crossing during August.
In late July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that “more than 600,000 displaced people have returned to the country.” In May, Erdogan said that Turkey is working on ensuring the “voluntary return” of one million Syrian refugees.
Though Syria is still unsafe for returns, Turkey tries to get rid of the refugees by forcibly deporting them, as the Turkish authorities have intensified the forced deportation of Syrians as part of what they call voluntary return to safe areas in northwestern Syria, according to media and documentary reports.