http://www.wsj.com/articles/turkish...ivilians-trying-to-enter-illegally-1466337945
BEIRUT—Turkish border guards shot and killed at least 11 Syrian civilians Sunday as they attempted to enter Turkey illegally, multiple Syrian antigovernment activist groups said, underscoring how difficult it has become to flee the country.
The Syrians came under fire on the final leg of what has become an arduous trek through the mountains separating Syria and Turkey, one of the few smuggling routes still operating after a crackdown on refugees by Turkey made the border nearly impenetrable. Smugglers command hundreds of dollars per person for the journey.
The smuggling route is in northwest Syria, far from the Turkish military’s recent operations against Islamic State militants on the Syrian side of the border.
A senior Turkish official said the government was unable to independently verify the claims, adding that Turkey was investigating the allegations.
Many of those killed and others injured were women and children. In video purportedly taken in the aftermath of the shootings and released online by Syrian activists a woman cradled a wounded baby girl and asked for someone to treat the child. When she is told the girl is dead, she begins to scream. The video couldn’t be independently verified.
Turkey has gradually clamped down on what was once an easily-traversed border after it came under pressure from Western nations demanding that the country stem both the tide of foreign fighters crossing the frontier and Syrian refugees seeking asylum in Europe.
In the past two years, Turkey has dug miles of deep trenches and unscalable walls and increased the presence of armed guards and soldiers along the 565-mile-long border, turning it into a militarized zone. Syrian human rights groups allege that since last year, dozens of people have been killed and injured by Turkish border guards as a result of the crackdown.
Turkey also faces domestic pressure to seal the border as it already hosts more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees. Its economy is strained as it foots the bill for refugee camps and other aid to support the influx.
Though Turkey says it maintains an open-door policy for Syrians, in effect few are able to cross over legally and once-active smuggling routes have become increasingly dangerous. Syrians are now required to have a visa, a law that went into effect earlier this year, or special permission at Turkish border crossings to enter the country. But the visas are difficult to acquire.
“Turkey provides humanitarian assistance to displaced persons in northern Syria and follows an open-door policy—which means we admit refugees whose lives are under imminent threat,” said the senior Turkish official.
Human Rights Watch in May released a report accusing Turkish soldiers of regularly shooting and beating Syrian refugees fleeing the country’s five-year conflict and terror group Islamic State, which is active along parts of the border. Earlier this year, Turkish soldiers killed five Syrians and seriously wounded 14, the rights group said.
Amnesty International reported in April that for months, Turkish authorities in the country’s southern provinces have been rounding up and deporting groups of men, women and children back to Syria on a near-daily basis.
BEIRUT—Turkish border guards shot and killed at least 11 Syrian civilians Sunday as they attempted to enter Turkey illegally, multiple Syrian antigovernment activist groups said, underscoring how difficult it has become to flee the country.
The Syrians came under fire on the final leg of what has become an arduous trek through the mountains separating Syria and Turkey, one of the few smuggling routes still operating after a crackdown on refugees by Turkey made the border nearly impenetrable. Smugglers command hundreds of dollars per person for the journey.
The smuggling route is in northwest Syria, far from the Turkish military’s recent operations against Islamic State militants on the Syrian side of the border.
A senior Turkish official said the government was unable to independently verify the claims, adding that Turkey was investigating the allegations.
Many of those killed and others injured were women and children. In video purportedly taken in the aftermath of the shootings and released online by Syrian activists a woman cradled a wounded baby girl and asked for someone to treat the child. When she is told the girl is dead, she begins to scream. The video couldn’t be independently verified.
Turkey has gradually clamped down on what was once an easily-traversed border after it came under pressure from Western nations demanding that the country stem both the tide of foreign fighters crossing the frontier and Syrian refugees seeking asylum in Europe.
In the past two years, Turkey has dug miles of deep trenches and unscalable walls and increased the presence of armed guards and soldiers along the 565-mile-long border, turning it into a militarized zone. Syrian human rights groups allege that since last year, dozens of people have been killed and injured by Turkish border guards as a result of the crackdown.
Turkey also faces domestic pressure to seal the border as it already hosts more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees. Its economy is strained as it foots the bill for refugee camps and other aid to support the influx.
Though Turkey says it maintains an open-door policy for Syrians, in effect few are able to cross over legally and once-active smuggling routes have become increasingly dangerous. Syrians are now required to have a visa, a law that went into effect earlier this year, or special permission at Turkish border crossings to enter the country. But the visas are difficult to acquire.
“Turkey provides humanitarian assistance to displaced persons in northern Syria and follows an open-door policy—which means we admit refugees whose lives are under imminent threat,” said the senior Turkish official.
Human Rights Watch in May released a report accusing Turkish soldiers of regularly shooting and beating Syrian refugees fleeing the country’s five-year conflict and terror group Islamic State, which is active along parts of the border. Earlier this year, Turkish soldiers killed five Syrians and seriously wounded 14, the rights group said.
Amnesty International reported in April that for months, Turkish authorities in the country’s southern provinces have been rounding up and deporting groups of men, women and children back to Syria on a near-daily basis.
