Turkey expels dozens of quake-affected Syrian families from shelters

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Feb 15:47
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A border official from the Bab al-Hawa crossing said that the number of families that were expelled from Turkey in the last 48 hours exceeded 65.

A Syrian family living in a shelter. (AP)

North Press Agency reported on Monday that several quake-affected Syrian families have been forcibly expelled from shelters in Reyhanli and Antakya to give priority to Turkish nationals and families.

A border official from the Bab al-Hawa crossing stated that the number of families that were deported from Turkey in the last 48 hours exceeded 65.

"The number is expected to gradually increase, owing to racist treatment, especially after the earthquake," they added.

"Return operations have begun since the third day of the earthquake after taking the families’ paper documents and registering their eye prints for the Turkish authorities to guarantee they will never return," the source further said.

The source further said that Turkish authorities took expelled families, taking their paper documents and registering their biometric data so they can guarantee they would not return.

Another civilian source from Deir ez-Zor who was returned from Antakya told the agency "Turks have begun to accuse us of being behind everything, even the earthquake," noting that Turkish forces took part in expelling Syrian families both directly and indirectly, failing to intervene to keep the families in the shelters.

"One hundred and ten families were expelled from a shelter in Reyhanli," she added.

Last week's 7.8 magnitude earthquake reportedly claimed the lives of over 34,000 people.

As soon as the disaster occurred a surge of humanitarian aid flooded Turkey.

Until several countries had decided to defy the western-imposed embargo, including Russia, Lebanon, Algeria, Russia, Egypt, Iran and Iraq, Syria remained deprived of foreign humanitarian assistance.

The only land-based crossing through which aid is capable of reaching Syria is located in the Idlib region, where the Turkish-backed, rebranded Al-Nusra Front (Al-Qaeda in Syria), Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) terrorist organization has held up aid meant for Syria over "approval issues."

Earlier today, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield called on members of the UN Security Council to "vote immediately" on a resolution to open two additional border crossings connected to rebel-held areas in Idlib.

Turkey-Syria Earthquake

Thousands have been killed and tens of thousands injured after a powerful earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria on Monday. The magnitude 7.8 quake was one of the strongest to strike the area in more than a century. Rescue workers are digging through debris in freezing conditions, while the death toll is on the rise.