Erdogan says almost 1 million Syrian refugees are in Turkey

Erdogan says almost 1 million Syrian refugees are in Turkey
Tue Apr 22, 2014 16:10:21

There are "almost one million" Syrian refugees leaving in Turkey’s refugee camps, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said while pledging to keep accepting those fleeing the war.

"Are we supposed to ask our brothers not to come, and to die in Syria?" Erdogan, whose government has been a strong supporter of the extremist-marked war in Syria said as he addressed his party's lawmakers in parliament.

The three-year conflict in Syria has sent millions fleeing to neighboring countries and beyond, while some 150,000 have lost their lives.

Erdogan’s government has been condemned by Syria for letting its borders open to militant groups, many of them affiliated to extremist groups such as al-Qaeda, to bring in forces and weapons.

Syria sank into war in March 2011 when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

SHI/SHI

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