TURKEY: A forest fire on Syrian border threatens to spread to Turkey, as refugees accuse the Assad regime of setting fire to their village

Record ID: 276414

  • Title: TURKEY: A forest fire on Syrian border threatens to spread to Turkey, as refugees accuse the Assad regime of setting fire to their village
  • Date: 2nd August 2012
  • Summary: HATAY, TURKEY (AUGUST 2, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF A SYRIAN VILLAGE NEAR LATAKIA AS SEEN FROM TURKISH SIDE WITH SMOKE IN THE AIR VARIOUS OF SMOKE RISING FROM FOREST VARIOUS OF BURNT TREES SYRIAN TURKMENS WALKING AT REFUGEE CAMP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED SYRIAN TURKMEN REFUGEE SAYING: "The fire is at our village. Assad knows his end is approaching so he is settin
  • Embargoed: 17th August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEGVQ97KY37SSXKJFPZJ8G3T09
  • Story Text: A forest fire in Syria was threatening to spread across the border into Turkey on Thursday (August 2), as refugees accuse the Assad regime of setting their villages ablaze.
    The fire broke out in the Syrian region of Latakia some days ago and has been spreading along the Turkish border, local media reported. Turkish officials and fire crews were attempting to prevent the flames from spreading into their territory.
    Turkish firefighters have been battling a number of fires along the Turkish-Syria border in past weeks. Thousands of Syrian refugees are using the area to cross the border in to Turkey, in an attempt to flee the violence in their country Refugees who fled from Latakia watched the smoke rising from their home villages with anger, saying the Assad regime was to responsible for the fires.

    "The fire is at our village. Assad knows his end is approaching so he is setting our villages on fire. He doesn't know what to do," one of the refugees said.

    "Assad is setting these areas ablaze on purpose and they are also shelling these areas. They start forest fires to prevent the Free Syrian Army soldiers reaching their camp," another refugee added.
    Turkish officials and refugees claim the fires continue to spread because of negligence by the Syrian authorities. They say the Syrian government has not done anything to contain the flames.
    ENDS
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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