Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that a total of 7,621 Syrian nationals returned to their country after the fall of the Assad regime, a happy occasion for millions who suffered under the oppressive regime.
Yerlikaya announced daily figures on X for Syrians returning "voluntarily, safely, honorably," and in an orderly manner from Türkiye before the regime’s fall, with 310 on Dec. 6, 176 on Dec. 7 and 240 on Dec. 8.
He said this number rose to 1,259 on Dec. 9 and gradually increased, consistently above 1,000, until Dec. 13. The minister said they adhered to a migration management policy that respected human rights and freedoms and did not make concessions for public order and security.
Syrians who sought refuge in Türkiye during the 13-year civil war in their home country continue returning to Syria following the fall of the regime. Syrians gathering at the Öncüpınar Customs Gate in Türkiye's southeastern Kilis province head back to their homeland after completing procedures at migration repatriation centers.
Omer Halibo, 45, who traveled from Istanbul to the border gate, expressed his gratitude to the Turkish people for their hospitality. "The Turkish people took us under their wings," he praised, adding: "I worked in the shoe industry in Türkiye and will continue the same work in my homeland." "I am returning voluntarily because the war is over," he said. Halibo noted: "I also plan to bring my family to Syria after I return. I am eager to see my country and my home." Twelve-year-old Luceyn Bekkur shared her feelings: "We fled the civil war when I was 3 and came to Türkiye." "I made wonderful friends here and had great days. I was very happy staying in Türkiye," she said, "I'm excited to return to my homeland, which I missed so much." "Thank you for hosting us. We had beautiful days," she stated.
Sidra Bekkur, 14, who arrived in Türkiye about 10 years ago, said: "I attended school here and am currently in sixth grade. I made Turkish friends, and they cried when I told them I was returning to Syria." "My teacher even sang a song for me," she praised, adding: "My friends didn't want me to leave." "But since the war is over, we wanted to return to our homeland. After all, it's our country. I am deeply grateful to Türkiye for opening its heart to us. I will miss it dearly."
During the Syrian civil war, some 4 million Syrians took shelter in Türkiye, more than any other country in the world.
Eight-year-old Rayan Assani knows next to nothing about Syria, but in a few minutes, the little girl with long black hair and a Barbie backpack crossed the border last week and headed for her family's native Aleppo. "It's going to be pretty," she said, speaking Arabic in a barely audible voice, clutching her pink earmuffs in her hand amid the bustle at the Turkish-Syrian border.
There, dozens of children like her were preparing to cross with their parents. "Our dad told us the war was over and we were going back to Aleppo. That's all," said her older sister, Merve, 17. She admitted she had "cried a lot" on Wednesday as her family took a bus out of Istanbul, where they had fled in 2012, a year into Syria's brutal 13-year conflict.
It was a gray, cloudy day at the Cilvegözü border crossing, and from where the Assani sisters were standing, nothing of what awaited them in Syria was visible on the horizon. A little boy in his father's arms had chocolate smeared around his mouth and a Turkish flag knotted around his neck like a cape. "That's to thank Türkiye for welcoming us," said the father as he hurried back to Damascus, the capital and hometown of many of the 3 million Syrian refugees in Türkiye.
In a long line that had been forming since dawn, Mumina Hamid was watching over her twins, wearing a long black coat and a pink scarf on her head. Husam and Wael, aged 6, had just been to the barber one last time before leaving Istanbul. They had the same haircut, shaved on the sides, each with a packet of cookies in his Spider-Man backpack. "Syria is bigger than Istanbul," Wael said knowingly, adding that he hoped there would be cats at their final destination, the central city of Hama. What would they miss about Istanbul? "My friends," he said. "And my teacher," he added, looking at his mother. Husam, for his part, left behind a girlfriend. Saying goodbye, "I gave her a kiss on the cheek," he admitted after being prompted by his mother.
