Thousands of Syrians returning, Turkish governor says

By Muslum Etgu

SANLIURFA, Turkey

Up to 6,000 Syrians are returning to their homes every month from Sanliurfa province, the governor said Wednesday.

Gungor Azim Tuna said 30 to 40 families applied every day to return to Syria. “Monthly, 5,000 to 6,000 people return to their country,” he told journalists during a visit to the provincial migration management office.

Sanliurfa lies to the northeast of the Syrian city of Jarabulus, the first area freed from Daesh when Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield late last August.

Since then, Free Syria Army forces backed by the Turkish military have liberated large swathes of northern Aleppo province.

Turkey hosts around 3 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world.

Reporting by Muslum Etgu; Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mahmet