Hundreds of Syrian refugees have gathered at two border crossings in southern Turkey, eagerly anticipating their return to Syria after the fall of Bashar Assad’s government.
According to the ABC News, many arrived at the Cilvegozu and Oncupinar gates at daybreak, draped in blankets and coats. Some camped by the barriers, warming at makeshift fires. The crossings correspond to the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salameh gates on the Syrian side.
Among those waiting at Cilvegozu was 28-year-old Muhammed Zin, who fled Damascus in 2016 and has been living and working in Istanbul.
Assad was shooting us, killing us,” he told The Associated Press. “I will return to Syria now. Thank God, the war is over.”
Assad’s fall has sparked widespread joy among Turkey’s 3 million Syrian refugees, with many taking to the streets of Istanbul and other cities to celebrate. On Sunday, Syrians removed the government’s flag from the Syrian Consulate in Istanbul, replacing it with the opposition’s flag.
At the Oncupinar border gate, Mustafa Sultan, 29, said he was crossing into Syria to find his older brother who was imprisoned in Damascus under Assad’s rule.
“I haven’t seen him for 13 years. The prisons have been emptied so I am going to go see whether he’s alive,” he said.
Turkish officials have not said how many Syrians have returned since Assad’s downfall on Sunday. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the numbers would increase as Syria stabilizes, and announced plans to reopen a third border crossing to prevent congestion.
“As Syria gains more stability, God willing, voluntary, safe and honourable returns will increase,” Erdogan said in a televised address following a Cabinet meeting.
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