Syrian government widens border crackdown

Some 12,000 Syrians have fled to refugee camps in Turkey

Uncertainty continues in Syria's border areas as the government's security forces widen their reach and thousands more are forced to flee from their homes.

 

On Saturday, 25th June, tanks moved into the village of Najia, after similar operations were carried out in Jisr al-Shughur on 12th June and Khirbet al-Joz on Thursday 23rd June.

 

Troops also moved into the village of Bdama on Saturday, which Reuters called a 'nerve centre', providing food and supplies to several thousand Syrians who have fled the besieged frontier towns, but have chosen to take shelter in fields on the Syrian side of the border, rather than cross into Turkey.

Umit Bektas, a Reuters photographer said he had seen armoured vehicles taking up positions on the Syrian hillside, apparently with the aim of preventing more Syrians from crossing the border.

It is believed that the government is carrying out a 'scorched earth' policy in the border region.

Some 12,000 Syrians have crossed into Turkey in recent weeks, and most are now residing in temporary refugee camps set up by the Turkish government.

The crackdown has been portrayed in a very different light by the Syrian government. The pro-government daily newspaper Al-Watan said of the attacks on Khirbet al-Joz, that the town was a "key crossing for armed groups from and to the Turkish" border. It said the army was 'now cleansing' the village of armed gangs, securing roads and protecting residents.

The State news agency SANA took a similar approach to the refugee question, saying families were returning from Turkey to Jisr Al-Shughur.

“Almost 730 people have returned…They had fled from the terror of the terrorist groups in the region,” it said.



There has been tension near Syria's borders with both Turkey and Lebanon



Violence is also occurring near the Lebanese borders, with activists saying people were forced to flee from the border towns of Al-Hit, Dweik and Quseir on Friday and Saturday.

At least five civilians were killed in Quseir on Saturday during house searches and funerals for anti-government protestors, killed during demonstrations on Friday. Quseir is located near the flashpoint city of Homs and only 15km from the Lebanese border.

The government of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has been hit by waves of protests since mid-March.

Sources: Al-Jazeera, BBC News, Dawn.com, Reuters

For more information, please see the Menas Borders website here.

Thousands flee Syrian violence to Turkey

Thousands of Syrians have crossed the border into Turkey, as the government crackdown in northern Syria continues.

More than 5,000 refugees have registered with officials, and are now staying in a three refugee camps in the border region.

It is believed that another 5,000 have entered the country unofficially, and hundreds more are massed at the border, assessing the situation, according to the BBC.

People fled after 15,000 soldiers moved into the town of Jisr al-Shughour, which lies 12 miles south of the Turkish border.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 189 people have been killed in Jisr al-Shughour in recent days, and critics say the government is carrying out a "scorched earth" policy.

 

The government says 120 security personnel were killed in the town last week by “armed gangs” and that the army operation is to find those responsible. Unofficial reports, however, suggest that the deaths were a result of a mutiny within the army, in response to orders to open fire against protestors.

 

The army reportedly seized Jisr al-Shughour on Sunday 12th June, and is now preparing to move on to the nearby town of Maarat al-Numan, where it says it is pursuing armed men who escaped the weekend offensive.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, has pledged to keep the border open.

“We will keep our doors open to all our Syrian brothers taking refuge in our country,” he said. “When deaths are getting heavy and our brothers are seeking this kind of refuge, it would be impossible for us to close our doors.”

Erdogan has previously described Assad as a good friend, and their families have vacationed together, but it appears that Erdogan is trying to distance himself from Assad. On 9th June, he called Syria's crackdown on anti-government protesters "inhumane", and said Turkey could support a UN Security Council resolution condemning the regime.

Syria has been hit by waves of protests since mid-March, and human rights groups reported that over 30 people were killed in nationwide protests on Friday 10th June, as thousands of people continue to defy official orders to stay off the streets.

The government crackdown on protestors has led to some 1,400 deaths, and the apparent army mutiny in Jisr al-Shughour has led some to fear that the country may be heading towards civil war.

 

Sources: BBC News, Bloomberg, The Atlantic Wire, The Telegraph

For more information, please see the Menas Borders website, here.