Russian airstrikes displace Turkmen in Syria

HATAY, Turkey

Syria’s Bayir Bucak area has witnessed mass displacement of Turkmen who fled their homes Saturday following attacks by Syrian and Russian forces, local sources told Anadolu Agency.

The sources said the Turkmen fled to safer villages near the Turkish border.

Muhammed Komurcu, a Syrian Turkmen Association official, said the number of internally displaced people has doubled.

Turkey has summoned Russia’s ambassador to Ankara over the recent bombing of Turkmen villages in Syria, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Turkmen are a Turkic ethnic group based largely in Syria and Iraq, where they live alongside large Arab and Kurdish populations. The Turkmen community, which includes both Sunni and Shia Muslims, shares close cultural ties with the Turkish people.

Syria’s devastating civil war, now in its fifth year, has left at least 250,000 people dead, according to the UN.

HATAY, Turkey

Syria’s Bayir Bucak area has witnessed mass displacement of Turkmen who fled their homes Saturday following attacks by Syrian and Russian forces, local sources told Anadolu Agency.

The sources said the Turkmen fled to safer villages near the Turkish border.

Muhammed Komurcu, a Syrian Turkmen Association official, said the number of internally displaced people has doubled.

Turkey has summoned Russia’s ambassador to Ankara over the recent bombing of Turkmen villages in Syria, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Syria’s devastating civil war, now in its fifth year, has left at least 250,000 people dead, according to the UN.