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Turkey opens border to Europe for Syrian refugees as EU relations break down

Comment AEC: What can go wrong letting in another million migrants from another continent in the middle of a pending Corona Pandemic? Quarantining citizens and residents in their cities in Italy, Germany, Sweden, but leave the borders open for anyone else? What ever comes out of this, is entirely the fault of the European leaders (mostly, but not exclusively the left-wing), who have declared open war on the European population by opening the borders in 2015.
Turkey image- Expressco.net.jpg
Express By CIARAN MCGRATH  

TURKEY will no longer stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe by land and sea, a senior Turkish official told Reuters on Thursday, in anticipation of the imminent arrival of refugees from Syria’s Idlib, where nearly a million have been displaced.

And the news came on the same day US Senator Lindsey Graham accused the world of “sitting on its hands” and ignoring the destruction being wrought by Syrian President Bashar Assad, aided and abetted by the Russians – and urged President Donald Trump to step in. The dramatic decision raises the prospect of large numbers arriving in Southern Europe. Turkish police, coast guard and border security officials have been ordered to stand down, the Turkish official added. Earlier on Thursday, a local Turkish governor said an attack on Turkish military in Idlib killed nine soldiers, although the figure was later revised upwards to 22.

However, the Syrian Observatory, a war monitor, reported at least 34 Turkish soldiers had been killed.

In anticipation of the imminent arrival of refugees from Idlib, Turkish police, coast guard and border security officials have been ordered to stand down on refugees’ land and sea crossings, a Turkish official confirmed.

Turkey hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees. Under a deal agreed in 2016, the European Union has provided billions of euros in aid in return for Ankara agreeing to stem the influx of migrants into Europe.

Turkey has sent thousands of troops and heavy military hardware into northwest Syria’s Idlib province to back rebels looking to hold back an offensive by Syrian government and Russian forces aimed at taking back the rebel stronghold.

Earlier Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan chaired an emergency security meeting late on Thursday to evaluate the latest developments in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, two Turkish security sources said.

Turkey backs rebels in Idlib and its military has helped resist an advance by Russian-backed Syrian government forces in recent weeks. The Turkish military death toll in the region rose earlier on Thursday to 21 so far this month.

Meanwhile Russia’s Defence Ministry accused Turkey of illegally sending strike drones into Syria’s Idlib region to support rebels fighting Syrian government forces, and of providing artillery support for them.

The ministry made the allegation after Syrian rebels backed by Turkish forces said they had recaptured the crossroads town of Saraqeb, marking a first big push-back of a Syrian government offensive.

 

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