TURKEY: Fleeing conscript tells of bloodshed as newly wed Syrian says she is happy with President Assad

Record ID: 279501

  • Title: TURKEY: Fleeing conscript tells of bloodshed as newly wed Syrian says she is happy with President Assad
  • Date: 14th June 2011
  • Summary: HATAY, TURKEY (JUNE 13, 2011) (REUTERS) PAN FROM HACIPASA VILLAGE TO TURKISH-SYRIAN BORDER MORE OF HACIPASA VILLAGE TURKISH BORDER POST WEDDING CAR WITH SYRIAN LICENCE PLATE SYRIAN LICENCE PLATE ORNAMENTS ON THE WEDDING CAR BRIDE, GROOM AND RELATIVES BEING SEATED OUTSIDE THE GARDEN BRIDE BEING SEATED GROOM BEING SEATED GROOM AND BRIDE HOLDING HANDS (SOUNDBITE)
  • Embargoed: 29th June 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey, Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAB93XDFDPWYCR5USZTBP6HF544
  • Story Text: Two Syrians entered Turkey early on Monday (June 13), just 36 kilometres apart, one a bride driven through the official border in a wedding car, the other an army deserter risking his life ferrying wounded to Turkey.
    The lives of 26-year-old Sumeyla and 23-year Darwish mirror the ethnic and religious divides threatening to tear Syria apart, and the surreal situation Turkey now finds itself in, as terrified refugees descend from the hills to seek shelter while close by normal border traffic continues at official crossings.
    In the border village of Hacipasa, Sumeyla, who preferred not to give her last name, was about to marry a Turkish relative. Her Syrian wedding car, festooned with a pink and white ribbons and flowers drove through the village hooting its horn. Sumeyla, who is an Allawite and co-religionist of President Assad, said they had seen nothing on the drive from her nearby village.
    "Yes, there is a conflict going on in Jisr al-Shughour but we love Bashar Al-Assad. There is a cabal trying to create conflict in Syria and they are not Syrians, they came here from abroad," she said.
    "As two nations, we get along quite well and the dialogue between Turkish-Syrian relatives is really good, everything goes well," her brother added.
    A little further south, Darwish Mohammad Sebo, a 23-year-old, who sneaked into the Turkish border village of Guvecci, deserted his military conscript post near Homs on May 14, escaping to the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour then eventually into Turkey.
    He described the moment which prompted him to desert.
    "I waited at the border and then I crossed the border and came here," he said. "I saw dead and wounded people. I helped wounded people to get into trucks and cross into Turkey and finally I crossed the border myself," he continued.
    Leaning against a car in the Turkish border village of Guvecci, Darwish appeared shaken and anxious. On his mobile phone he has footage of a dead Syrian youth shot through the stomach, during attacks on Jisr al-Shughour.
    President Bashar al-Assad's army retook the rebellious town after an army assault, backed by armies and tanks, which started last Friday. Authorities said 120 security personnel were killed in fighting they blamed on "armed groups".
    Almost 7,000 Syrian refugees have now fled the predominantly Sunni town, just 20 kilometres from Guvecci, and streamed across the rolling farmland into Turkey, where Turkish soldiers take them to four refugee camps.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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