Within sight of border, war-weary Syrians dream of Turkey

News About Turkey - NAT
5 Min Read

Desperate to escape war and find medical care for their daughter, Jaber Karawan and his wife have spent hundreds of dollars trying to escape northwestern Syria into next-door Turkey.

They have tried five times to smuggle themselves and their two children across the border in recent weeks.

But all their attempts have failed, forcing them back each time to temporary shelter in Syria’s war-torn northwestern region of Idlib.

“There is no work for me here, the situation is disastrous,” 31-year-old Jaber said.

Dreaming of proper treatment for their three-year-old daughter who suffers from an eye condition, Jaber and his wife Walaa have borrowed money from relatives and drained their savings to pay smugglers $1,200.

But on their fifth attempt this week, Jaber tumbled from the grey concrete wall separating the two countries, breaking his leg.

Just hours earlier, wearing a crisp white shirt, his face neatly shaven, Jaber had helped his wife and two children straddle a motorbike outside their camp in the town of Atme.

With two small bags in tow, the family of four were aim to cross the nearby Turkish border illegally.

When an AFP correspondent first met Jaber, it was after a previous such attempt.

He was helping his children disembark from a taxi that drove them back from the Turkish frontier, where they were briefly detained by border guards.

The family has landed in Turkish custody several times after trying to cross.

– ‘This is no life’ –

Each time, they trek for hours through rocky terrain under the cover of night, before trying to scale the border wall, where they are intercepted by Turkish patrols.

“This is not a life,” Jaber told AFP, sitting inside his tent in a camp for the displaced before the fifth attempt.

“I’ll try 50, 60, 100 times until I get in,” he said.

Originally from southern Idlib, Jaber and his family are among more than 400,000 people driven from their homes by months of fierce bombardment.

“I want to go there to find a job, to provide for my children and to look after my daughter,” Jaber said, as nearby his three-year-old girl ate crisps scattered on a thin mattress.

Air strikes by Damascus and regime ally Moscow have killed nearly 1,000 civilians since late April, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

But since August 31, a Russian-backed ceasefire has largely held, despite sporadic strikes.

“We risk our lives to go to Turkey, and in the end, we cannot,” Walaa said, her expression hidden by a full-face veil.

– ‘Take us to Turkey’ –

Turkey hosts the most Syrian refugees in the world at 3.6 million.

But it now seems determined to send some of these refugees back home.

In recent weeks, human rights groups have decried reports of hundreds of refugees being deported back to Syria as part of a crackdown on those without the right residency papers.

Ankara, however, says all returns are voluntary.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that eventually two to three million Syrian refugees in Turkey or Europe could be resettled in Syria if a so-called “safe zone” is created along the Syrian side of the border.

Also displaced by violence in Idlib, Abu Salloum, his two wives and eight children now live in a rough, cinderblock home, only metres (yards) from the border wall.

The yard of their house is visible to Turkish guards posted on nearby watchtowers.

Sitting cross-legged on a carpet, Abu Salloum smokes a cigarette and sips tea, surrounded by three of his sons.

His wife prepares a traditional aubergine dish called makdous, while one of his daughters stares across an open field at a Turkish watchtower.

The 45-year-old farmer said he dreams of escaping to Turkey, but with such a large family, crossing illegally would cost a fortune.

“Take us to Turkey, or find us a solution that would bring us back to our villages,” he said.

“This life is unbearable.”

Atme (Syria) (AFP)

TAGGED:
Share This Article
Founded by a small group of Turkish/Kurdish scholars who have been subjected to persecution at the hands of the Erdogan dictatorship, News About Turkey (NAT) has emerged as a platform that is both exceptional and invaluable. Our objective is to provide you with a comprehensive and sophisticated understanding of the events and developments in Turkey (Türkiye), a country with profound historical and geopolitical importance, a vibrant culture, and a strategic location. Our founders, who have been purged by the Erdogan regime after the so-called coup attempt, are aware of the significance of journalism that is both free and independent. Because of this understanding, we are committed to providing reporting and analysis that is both objective and comprehensive. To give you the most thorough coverage of Turkey, we go further than just scratching the surface. Keep in touch with us so that you can have a better understanding of Turkey's developing story as well as vital and comprehensive news items. Whether you are a resident of Turkey, a member of the Turkish/Kurdish diaspora, or simply someone who has a strong interest in this vital country, we are the most reliable source for news that not only informs but also inspires and engages you.
Leave a comment