Turkey readies camps in Syria for those fleeing assault
TURKEY is drawing up contingency plans to cope with any movement of Syrian civilians towards the north of the country to flee Ankara’s air and ground offensive against a Kurdish militia.
The campaign unleashed January 20 targets the US-backed People’s Protection Units (YPG), considered a terrorist outfit by Ankara based in the border enclave of Afrin. Turkish authorities say the utmost care is taken not to harm civilians in operation “Olive Branch”.
But the country’s humanitarian agencies are scouting for camp areas around Azaz as well as Idlib if large numbers of civilians head for the border seeking safety from the bombardment.
“We are ready to provide shelter for a maximum number of 50,000 civilians both in Azaz and in Idlib,” Kerem Kinik, head of the Turkish Red Crescent, said.
Turkey, which hosts over 3 million refugees from the Syria conflict, has increasingly helped the displaced in camps on the other side of the border.
The Syrian town of Azaz was liberated from Islamic State in the early stages of Turkey’s “Euphrates Shield” operation between August 2016 and March 2017. And Idlib was declared one of Syria’s de-escalation zones after a ceasefire deal brokered by opposition backer Turkey and regime supporter Russia.
Turkey’s AFAD emergencies agency head Mehmet Gulluoglu said they were working on a “worst-case scenario”.
“It is hard to make a precise prediction of how many civilians would come because there’s an ongoing operation,” he said at Oncupinar border crossing near Azaz, where he carried out field work for potential camp sites last week.
There is growing concern that a sustained military campaign could spark a “humanitarian tragedy” for civilians living in the Afrin region.
Over the past week, villages and towns around Afrin on the Syrian-Turkish border have come under intense bombardment. According to the United Nations, Afrin has an estimated population of 324,000 people, with around 5,000 already displaced by the offensive.
The United Nations warned last week that the clashes as well as a decision by Kurdish authorities to close exit points between Afrin and regime-held areas of Aleppo province were restricting civilian freedom of movement.
Turkey has reported that seven soldiers were killed since the start of the offensive, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 67 civilians have been killed, a figure Turkey strongly rejects. At least 85 YPG militiamen have died, the Observatory says, as have 81 fighters from the rebel groups fighting with Turkish backing.
Kinik said his agency was working to provide humanitarian aid but added: “YPG forces blocked roads to Azaz and Aleppo barring civilians from leaving Afrin . . .There is no exit from Afrin right now.”