Refugees will swamp Europe after Idlib attack, says Turkey

A FULL-SCALE Syrian regime attack on Idlib would lead to a flow of refugees to Europe and “serious humanitarian and security risks” to the continent, Turkey’s president has warned.

The Us-led coalition, meanwhile, said it had launched an operation to clear Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from its final remaining pocket of territory in north-eastern Syria.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been mounting a public campaign to focus the world’s attention on the dangers of an attack on the rebel-held province, where around 3 million people are bracing for an assault by Bashar al-assad’s forces. In an article in The Wall Street Journal, Mr Erdogan said the international community “must understand their responsibilities as the assault on Idlib looms”.

“A regime assault would also create serious humanitarian and security risks for Turkey, the rest of Europe and beyond,” he said.

In an apparent effort to underscore Mr Erdogan’s warnings, a pro-government newspaper published a map in Arabic showing how Syrian refugees might pass through Turkey and into Europe.

The map, published by the Daily Sabah, seemed meant to encourage Syrians to head to Europe and to focus the attention of the EU on a potential new wave of arrivals.