(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) More than 5,000 Syrian refugees fleeing airstrikes in the city of Tal Abyad have crossed into Turkey through the southern Akcakale border gate, Turkish officials said.
Fighting between Kurdish forces and Daesh rebels around Syria's Tal Abyad has brought the new wave of desperate civilians trying to escape danger.
The Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) in a written statement on Monday: "5,291 people, who entered Turkey, were registered today. 1,413 of the refugees are women while 2,287 are children," said.
Turkey decided to let Syrians into the country after clashes intensified in the eastern and the southern parts of Tal Abyad, the statement added.
The refugees were ushered in through some deliberate opening in a border chain-link fence since Daesh fighters were blocking access into Turkey through the customs area.
The first intake of refugees started at midday and finished late afternoon.
"The registration and food necessities of refugees have been made by the Turkish Health Ministry, AFAD, the Turkish Red Crescent, police and security forces," Monday's statement said.
Meanwhile, 291 people, coming from Iraq, also crossed into Turkey.
Almost 10,000 Syrians have entered Turkey through Akcakale border gate in the past two days due to U.S.-led coalition's airstrikes and fighting in the area.
Over the past two weeks, the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD)'s military wing, known as the People's Protection Units or YPG, has been carrying out operations with the help of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in the northeastern regions of Tal Abyad and al-Hasakah to push back Daesh militants.
The Free Syrian Army and the Syrian-Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) took control of Tal Abyad city which borders Turkey on Monday.
Turkey shares an estimated 900-kilometer border with Syria, with about 13 border crossings. Some on the Syrian side are now under Daesh's control , including Tal Abyad in Raqqa province, according to the AFAD statement.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.