Amid a debate over their fate in Türkiye, Syrian refugees quietly leave for their homeland after spending years in their country’s northern neighbor. Fleeing civil war that tore apart Syria since 2011, refugees amass at the border as the conditions in parts of their country improved.
Through “voluntary return bureaus” set up in 12 provinces with high refugee populations, refugees are able to cross the border under the principle of “safe, voluntary and dignified return” as the Migration Management Directorate of the Interior Ministry says.
So far, more than 554,000 Syrians returned to their country, particularly to the areas liberated from terrorist groups with the support of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). The Turkish army was behind operations Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Peace Spring to ensure the safety of areas in Türkiye’s north, immediately across the Turkish border, which has been under the threat of terror attacks from Syria.
Through the support of Türkiye, liberated areas have seen improvement in daily life, from new schools and hospitals to better infrastructure.
Hussein Ibrahim was among a group of Syrian refugees who arrived at the Karkamış border crossing in the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep on Monday to return to his country. Ibrahim, who moved to Türkiye in 2013, said he voluntarily returned. “I thank the Republic of Türkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Everyone has been good to us here. But our town in Syria is safe now. We have many relatives there. We want to start a new life,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA). Khaled al-Ali said he was happy to return to Syria, saying he already secured a job as a construction worker.
Jumaa al-Saghir said the war was “over” in his hometown and thanked Türkiye for giving him an opportunity to return. Al-Saghir said he would start up a new business in Syria. Abdelhamed Abbas said Türkiye has been kind to them and they felt like “members of a family” in Türkiye.
