Perilous journey for Syrians fleeing to Turkey
With official border crossings between Syria and Turkey closed, smugglers have begun assisting Syrians wanting to cross into Turkey to safety and to work.
SYRIA-TURKEY BORDER — On Aug. 2 around 5:30 a.m., as the sun rose and darkness slowly vanished from the Hawar Killis region, dozens of Syrians gathered to wait among the trees near the barbed-wire fence constituting the border between Syria and Turkey. They were waiting for their chance to enter Turkey in search of safety and job opportunities.
Young people and families with children and elderly members, having brought with them large bags of amenities, anxiously awaited a sign from a smuggler to run in the direction of Turkish territory, hoping to get lucky and manage to evade Turkish border guards.
On the opposite side of the barbed wire, some seven armed border guards patrolled to prevent illegal entry. Every now and then, a speeding Turkish army armored vehicle would arrive to inspect the guard positions.
Al-Monitor spoke with one of the families. Abu Rami, not his real name, 35, sat next to his wife, each of them holding a child. They wore their fatigue and exhaustion on their faces.
