Turkey closes Syria border following violent clashes
Against the backdrop of violence between the two countries, Turkey has closed its main border crossing into northwest Syria on the 2nd of July, reports Reuters.
Spreading unrest began late on June 30th, where properties and vehicles owned by Syrians were vandalised and set on fire in the central city of Kayseri, stoked by social media reports that a Syrian man had sexually abused a female child relative.
The violence spread to the provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Konya, Bursa and an Istanbul district, Turkey’s MIT intelligence agency said in a statement. There were social media reports of some injuries among Syrians.
Subsequently, hundreds of angry Syrians took to the streets in several towns in the rebel-held northwest Syria, an area where Turkey maintains thousands of troops and has carved out a sphere of influence that has stopped Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from regaining control.
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In Turkey, police detained 474 people involved in attacks targeting the Syrian community across the country overnight, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
Late on July 1st, Turkey responded to the unrest by closing the Bab al Hawa border crossing, a main trade and passenger conduit for more than 3 million inhabitants, until further notice. Bab al-Salam and other smaller crossings were also closed, a border official told Reuters.
The scene of the most violent clashes was at the Syrian border city of Afrin, with at least four people killed in an exchange of fire between armed protesters and Turkish troops.
Elsewhere, there were armed clashes, with civilians hurling stones at Turkish convoys in several towns, and tearing down the Turkish flag on some offices.
In a speech on the 2nd of July, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan blamed the “chaos plan” on groups associated with terrorist organisations and vowed to reveal the “dirty hands” behind the recent incidents.
“We know who is playing in these games staged with the remnants of the terrorist organisation. Neither us nor our Syrian brothers, will fall into this sly trap…we will not give in to racist vandalism,” Erdogan said following the cabinet meeting.
He added, that the refugee issue will be solved humanely and morally in line with the economic realities of Turkey, which is hosting more than 3 million Syrian war refugees.
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Turkey severed ties with Syria after the 2011 Syrian civil war and supported rebels looking to oust Assad.
With the closure of borders between Turkey and Syria, it is hoped that the violence will end. On the 28th of June, Erdogan said that a meeting with Assad was possible to help restore bilateral relations.
Reuters.
