60,000 Syrians have left Turkey, Turkish defense chief says

AL-MONITOR Staff

An aerial picture shows Syrian refugees living in Turkey waiting to take a bus through the northern Bab al-Hawa border crossing, on February 17, 2023, as they return to Syria in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake. - Turkey this week allowed Syrians under its protection who hold ID cards from one of the quake-hit provinces to leave for between three and six months, a rule change designed to reunite families on both sides of the border hit by the February 6 disaster, which has killed more than 41,000 people — An aerial picture shows Syrian refugees living in Turkey waiting to take a bus through the northern Bab al-Hawa border crossing, on February 17, 2023, as they return to Syria in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake. — OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

ANKARA — The number of Syrians leaving Turkey after the devastating recent earthquakes has reached 60,000, Turkish defense chief Hulusi Akar said Monday.

On Feb. 6, two earthquakes and their aftershocks killed more than 50,000, including nearly 6,500 Syrians in Turkey. The disaster affected the country’s southern provinces which were home to a large Syrian refugee population.

Speaking in Hatay, one of the hardest-hit Turkish provinces, Akar said those Syrians left the country voluntarily.

“We know that some 60,000 Syrian siblings of ours have returned to Syria voluntarily, safely, legally and in a dignified manner.”

The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Search

60,000 Syrians have left Turkey, Turkish defense chief says

Syrian refugees in Turkey remain a central theme ahead of the country's critical May 14 elections.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish

Read By