Syrians making trek home from Turkey for holiday
Syrian refugees in Turkey are returning home by the thousands for Eid al-Fitr, with border crossing administrators providing the needed facilities.
ALEPPO, Syria — Thousands of Syrians living in Turkey have been entering the countryside of Aleppo since May 18 for Eid al-Fitr, a holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting.
They are traveling through the Bab al-Salamah crossing north of the city of Azaz, as well as through the Jarablus crossing, north of that city on the Syrian-Turkish border. Over the past few days, the number of people wishing to cross into Syria after the academic year in Turkey ended has significantly increased, reaching 2,500-3,000 people daily.
Hassan Alito, a media official at the Bab al-Salamah crossing, told Al-Monitor that 24,000 people had entered the area coming from Turkey and the number is expected to reach 50,000 in the coming days. The Bab al-Salamah crossing opened May 18, will remain open until June 13 and will be reopened for Syrians to return to Turkey from June 26 to July 6.
According to Alito, entering Syria is now very easy since the immigration department in Kilis in southern Turkey launched a website May 15 allowing Syrians who wish to spend Eid al-Fitr in Syria to register, and the website notifies them of the date on which they can pass through the crossing.
