(Reuters) – With the latest Syrian government offensive backed by Russian airstrikes in Aleppo, tens of thousands more Syrians have shown up at the Turkish-Syrian border, desperately hoping the gates will open.
Turkey is currently hosting over 2.5 million Syrian refugees. The swelling numbers are taking a toll on many of its cities — the number of refugees in some areas such as Kilis is almost equal to that of the local population.
The town of Kilis has already been affected by the conflict in Syria. It is no stranger to bombings and security threats. In January, a rocket fired from Syria hit a local school in Kilis, killing a staff member and injuring several students.
Some locals are worried about the war spilling over into their hometown.
“We are very nervous. It’s like anything can happen at any time, rockets are dropping, bombs are exploding; the sounds are affecting our psychology,” said Hikmet Dasdelen, a local Turkish citizen in Kilis.
But their concerns extend beyond just security threats.
“Our rents have soared, and our businesses are also affected; we are suffering economic losses because Syrians have opened their own shops and are shopping from each other. We’re not happy about them being here,” said Hikmet Dasdelen.
The town has undergone a dramatic transformation. Many of the shops in the city have Arabic signs with most of the people in town speaking Arabic as well — it could now easily be mistaken for a Syrian town rather than a Turkish one.
Nevertheless, some locals are still keeping an open heart and continue to welcome Syrian refugees.
“Above everything, we are Muslim;they are our neighbors; we’re bonded by our faith. If something happens to them – we will face it together. If there is death at the end, we’ll die together,” said Ahmet Ozkaplan, another local Turkish citizen.
The Turkish government has now refused to open the gates, and is instead working on expanding the camps on the other side of the border while providing the growing number of Syrians with food and aid supplies. Yet with the offensive in and around Aleppo continuing, it is expected that more will be showing up at the border hoping to cross into Kilis in the upcoming days.
