Over a thousand people have come to the Yayladagi camp in the last 24 hours. Many others are camped near the border, ready to cross. The TV has announced that the Syrian army is to "restore security" in the town scene of violent clashes in recent days.

Ankara (AsiaNews / Agencies) - There are already more than two thousand four hundred Syrian refugees in Turkey, fleeing al-Jirs Shughour, a town in north-western border of the country, where in recent days over 120 security guards have been killed. The Syrian state television announced today that the military is positioning itself to "restore security" in the city. The announcement has intensified the flight of civilians. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that more than a thousand people crossed the border in the last 24 hours. Most of them found shelter in the tent city of Yayladagi, a town 10 km from the border.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on 8 June that Turkey "will not close its doors" to those fleeing, and urged President Assad to "change his attitude toward civilians." In the Yayladagi camp rescue teams are providing assistance for runaways. Ambulances are taking the injured to hospital in Antakya. Over thirty people were hospitalized and treated for gunshot wounds.

It is reported that 120 members of the security forces were killed in Jirs al-Shughour a few days ago. It is not possible to know what really happened. The government has spoken of ambushes and attacks, while others have suggested that there was a mutiny. The security forces would have refused to open fire on civilians and the army apparently opened fire on them. Since the demonstrations have broken out in opposition to the regime of Assad, Syria has not allowed journalists access to the country and therefore there is no independent source for news.

In Yayladagi Turkish police are patrolling the border, and preventing journalists from entering the camp. Officials of the Red Crescent and the administration are preparing for a "massive influx" of arrivals in the coming days. Yayladagi can accommodate up to 5 thousand people, and authorities are considering opening a second field. Videos have shown dozens of people camped out in Syria, near the border, ready to cross if needed. Lebanon has already received more than five thousand refugees, even if the UN said that it is part of a “fluid population", and some of them have already returned home.

• Syria
• turkey
• conflict
• refugees
• camp
• violence
• security
• forces
• border