ŞANLIURFA
Four thousand Syrians fleeing ISIL attack who passed through Turkish border gate on Friday will be settled in Turkey "within the shortest time possible and their needs will be met” said Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
Davutoglu speaking during a visit to Azerbaijani capital Baku said all Syrians, regardless of "ethnic or sectarian discrimination", will be accepted into Turkey.
“Because of a sudden development our friends are trying to swiftly get organized of course. These our brothers will be settled within the shortest time possible and their needs will be met” added Davutoglu.
Syrians had been amassing for the last two days at the border district of Tal Abyad in Raqqa city as they waited for permission to cross.
Syrians are now gathering in Suruc district in Sanliurfa city.
From there they will be transferred to an empty school building in the village of Oylum.
Meanwhile, the fighting lingers in Ayn al-Arab area of Raqqa between militants led by ISIL and Kurdish PYD forces.
Six Syrians including three women were taken to Suruc State Hospital and placed under medical treatment there.
Syria has been plagued by quasi-constant fighting since the regime launched a violent crackdown in response to anti-government protests in March 2011.
The ensuing conflict spiraled into a civil war and has proved to become a breeding ground for ISIL-led militants, who have since gained control of large parts of Syria and Iraq.
The U.N. has stopped updating its death toll for the country because an official count had become too difficult to verify. At least 100,000 deaths were recorded in the last official count, in July 2013.
UN praises Turkey’s open border for Kurds fleeing ISIL
The United Nations has praised Turkey’s actions in opening a section of its border with Syria to allow fleeing Kurds to cross to safety as “right and humane.”
In a statement late on Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said: “UNHCR applauds Turkey’s prompt action in ensuring safe haven for and extending support to Syrian-Kurdish civilians seeking to cross its borders from new fighting in northern Syria in the area around the town of Ayn Al-Arab."
Turkey accepted 45,000 Kurdish refugees fleeing an ISIL assault on their villages and the border city of Ayn Al-Arab, known as Kobane in Kurdish.
The refugee agency reported that the city was surrounded on three sides by militants and voiced concerns over possible further displacement in the coming days.
Amin Awad, UNHCR Middle East director, said: “It is of life-saving importance that these people have access to safe haven.
“Turkey is already hosting a very substantial population of Syrian refugees and its capacities are being tested. Its actions today in ensuring that borders are open to people fleeing the latest violence was right and humane in a very difficult situation."
The agency noted that Turkey currently hosts at least 847,266 Syrian refugees.
Turkey urges UN to act on refugee crisis in Iraq, Syria
UN agencies and non-governmental organizations must coordinate efforts to further help displaced people in Iraq and Syria, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
"The UN must act urgently to deal with the growing refugee crisis in the region," Cavusoglu told reporters Friday following a UN Security Council meeting on Iraq.
The minister said that Turkey’s humanitarian support was ongoing, with three camps now welcoming 35,000 people, and assistance being given to 38,000 refugees.
"Only yesterday [Thursday], Turkey welcomed 10,000 displaced people fleeing ISIL," Cavusoglu said, adding that Turkey would continue to pursue an open-door policy.
"We cannot close the door on people fleeing from the oppressive Syrian regime or the pressure and attacks of other groups," he said.
Currently, there are around 1,2 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.
"This number will keep increasing unless stability is restored in Iraq and Syria," Cavusoglu said.
Around 45,000 Syrian Kurds fleeing a large-scale ISIL attack on the border region entered Turkey’s southeastern Sanliurfa and Gaziantep provinces on Friday.
“After Turkey opened the border gates, 45,000 Syrian Kurds entered through eight checkpoints from Akcakale to Mursitpinar, just across [the border] from Kobani. We accommodated them in the newly-built tents near the border," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters Saturday.
He added: "In no other place in the world, no country, regardless of how good their economic conditions are, could accommodate some 45,000 refugees at one time. This shows the strength and good intentions of Turkey."
Turkey opened the frontier to cope with a rush of Kurdish civilians fearing an attack on the Syrian border town of Ayn al-Arab, known as Kobani in Kurdish.
www.aa.com.tr/en
