Thousands of Syrians brave cold, rain at Turkey border

The United Nations says 20,000 people had gathered at Syria’s Bab Al Salam crossing with Turkey.

Refugees fleeing Aleppo wait for tents on February 6, 2016 in Bab Al Salam, in northern Syria, near the Turkish border crossing. AFP / BULENT KILIC

THE HAGUE // Thousands of Syrians braved the cold and rain at the Turkish border on Saturday after fleeing a Russian-backed regime assault in northern Syria.

The United Nations said some 20,000 people had gathered at Syria’s Bab Al Salam crossing with Turkey. The crossing was closed but the Syrian side of it was being supplied by aid lorries coming from Turkey.

Suleyman Tapsiz, governor of the Kilis border province, said Turkey was able to take care of 30-35,000 refugees inside Syria.

“New arrivals are currently being accommodated in eight camps on the Syrian side of the border,” he said.

He said there was “no need for now” to transfer them to Turkey but added that Ankara was ready for any emergency situation.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, meanwhile, vowed his country would keep its “open border policy” for Syrian refugees.

He said as many as 55,000 people fleeing the new regime offensive in Aleppo province were heading toward the frontier.

But Mr Tapsiz said a wave of at least 70,000 was “a possibility”.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, estimated that some 40,000 people had been forced to leave their homes since last Monday.

“Thousands have been sleeping in the open, in fields and on roads,” on the border and in the nearby Syrian city of Azaz, said Mamun Al Khatib, director of the Aleppo-based pro-rebel Shahba Press news agency.

“And because the main rebel supply route between Aleppo and Turkey has been cut [by the regime], the price of oil, foodstuffs and baby milk has shot up in the north of Aleppo province.”

* Agence France-Presse