Turkmens escape to Turkey from Russian, al-Assad fire in Syria

Some 1,635 migrants, mainly women, children and elderly people, crossed into Turkey on Jan. 29 and 30 from Syria, after leaving their camp across the border due to rising security risks, as the Russian and Bashar al-Assad forces' bombardment of Turkmen villages continued.

The group had taken refuge in the Turkish-built Yamadi camp after shelling by the regime and allied Russian forces' intensified in the Bay?rbucak region of northwestern Syria, according to a statement by the Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). However, they were forced to cross the border into the Yaylada?? district of Turkey's southeastern Hatay province as the bombing intensified.

The decision to evacuate Yamadi came as Abdurrahman Mustafa, the president of the Syrian Turkmen Assembly, said it would be necessary, one day after the Obin camp, 3 kilometers southeast of Yamadi, was bombarded in an aerial campaign.

"The al-Assad forces with Russia's support are marching toward Yamadi after the fall of Rabia. They are eight kilometers from the camp on the zero point of the border. We started to evacuate the camp [Yamadi] last night [Jan. 28]. [People] are expected to arrive in Turkey in groups consisting of 500-600 people. There are mostly Turkmen 20,000 people in the camp. We talked with AFAD and Red Crescent representatives at the beginning of the week and they are expanding the camp in Güveççi village in Yaylada??," Mustafa said, adding that the Obin camp was bombarded early on Jan. 29.

"They bombarded the [Obin] camp last October too. There are reportedly many dead and wounded [from this latest bombardment]. We have also learned that the regime has started to capture the Turkmen village of Kelez in the Kürtda?? region. In...