Tue 24 December 2019:
A Turkish delegation was in Russia on Monday for talks on Syria, following reports that Russian-backed attacks there were forcing tens of thousands more Syrians to flee towards Turkey.
This developed as a car bombing in northern Syria, near the border with Turkey, killed at least eight civilians, including a woman and a child.
Turkey already hosts at least 3.7 million Syrians – the world’s biggest refugee population.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday it could not handle a new influx and was urging Russia to stop the attacks in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.
The Turkey-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) said on Monday 120,000 Syrians were fleeing towards the Turkish border – higher than Erdogan’s estimate of 80,000.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate end to the hostilities, which he said had displaced 30,000 people in the last week alone, his spokesman said.
“The Secretary-General reminds all parties of their obligations to protect civilians and ensure freedom of movement,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has promised to recapture the Idlib region, the last significant area of Syria still under rebel control after eight-and-a-half years of civil war.
Russia and Iran have supported Assad’s forces during the Syrian conflict while Turkey has backed Syrian rebels fighting Assad.
Russian and Syrian army jets have been hitting civilian convoys trying to flee the Idlib city of Maarat el-Numan, leaving hundreds of families still trapped there, activists and aid groups have said.
“It’s a tragic situation for civilians remaining in the city since Russian jets are hitting any convoy that leaves the city, while those who were able to reach areas closer to the border have nowhere to shelter,” said Mohamad Rasheed, an activist in the area.
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