Thousands of Turkmens flee to Turkey from Syria

More than 3,000 Turkmens have fled Syria's northwest for Turkey over the past three days, Turkish disaster agency AFAD stated on Feb. 1, after pro-Assad forces ramped up their attacks in the region. 

"After the attacks spilled over to the Yamadi camp, the first group of 731 migrants, mostly babies, children, women and the elderly, entered our country on Jan. 29," AFAD said. 

It added that refugees were continuing to cross the Turkish border and a total of 3,128 people had crossed at the Pulluyaz? village near the border town of Yaylada?? in Turkey's southern province of Hatay over the past three days. 

AFAD said the refugees were being biometrically registered at the border. The families were either sent to live with their relatives or their sent to AFAD camps in Hatay, Gaziantep or ?anl?urfa, all provinces neighboring Syria that are already host to most of the Syrian migrants in Turkey. 

Meanwhile, Hatay Governor Ercan Topaca said the number of people evacuated from the Bay?rbucak region in the last four days has reached 4,019.

The total number of people who have fled the region to Turkey since the Nov. 24 downing of the Russian jet is now 5,694.

The influx has accelerated since Jan. 24, when Rabiya, a rebel-held town in the Latakia province, was captured by Syrian pro-regime forces. 

AFAD also stated that the Güveççi camp, which it established for Turkmens fleeing Syria's Bay?rbucak region, had also welcomed its first residents, with 162 Turkmens from Syria located at the camp so far and admittance continuing. 

Some 202 officials from the Turkish Health Ministry, the Gendarmerie General Command, the General Directorate of Security, the Turkish Red Crescent, the Directorate General of Migration...