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A Lebanese minister has accused Syrian regime forces of killing refugees who have returned to the war-torn country.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Monday, Minister of State for Refugee Affairs Mouin Merehbi said a Syrian family had been killed in Homs countryside in western Syria last week.
“Security officials in the regime forces had stormed the family’s house and killed the father, son and a nephew,” Merehbi said.
He said the murdered family had recently returned to Syria.
Just days after conducting joint patrols with Turkey in Syria’s Manbij, U.S. forces carried out a patrol with the Syrian Democratic Forces near the Turkish border in Syria’s Hasakah.The SDF is dominated by the YPG militia, which is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).Photographs captured by Reuters posted on Sunday brought attention to the patrols conducted in Hasakah.Galeri: US patrols near Turkish border with SDF terroristsTurkish and American troops on Thursday began their first round of joint patrols in Manbij, as part of a deal to rid the area of the YPG/PKK terrorist group. Since June 18, the Turkish Armed Forces have carried out 68 individual patrols in Manbij.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of 40,000 people, including women and children.Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and his U.S. counterpart James Mattis spoke over the phone on Friday, and agreed that the combined patrols between the U.S. and Turkish military forces northwest of Manbij "were an important step toward de-escalating tensions along the border and maintaining security and stability in the region."France issues arrest warrants for senior Syrian officials close to AssadTurkey neutralizes 45 terrorists over past weekSyrian tribes call for boycott of YPG/PKK in Raqqa
US patrols Hasakah with SDF terrorists days after joint US-Turkey patrols in Manbij
“Murders and liquidation are targeting those returning to regime-held areas, particularly villages and towns near Lebanese border,” he said.
The minister denied that the Lebanese authorities were forcing Syrian refugees to return to their country.
“They return voluntarily,” he said. “We did not force anyone to return.”
Last week, Lebanese authorities said that more than 87,000 Syrian refugees have returned to their country since July.
Beirut estimates the number of Syrian refugees still in the country at some 1.5 million, although the UN puts the number at less than a million.
Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.
Killing of a local tribal leader in alleged armed attack by the terrorist YPG/PKK group has risen tension in Raqqa city of war-torn Syria.Following the assassination of its leader Bashir Faisal al-Huwaidi, members of Sabha tribe on Sunday called for boycott of YPG/PKK, which is held responsible for the attack, in the region.Al-Huwaidi -- known opposed to the terrorist group -- was killed on Saturday in Raqqa.Many other regional tribes have also joined Sabha's condemnation of the attack, announcing their support for the boycott until the culprit is revealed.Refugees from Raqqah want to return to their homelandTurkey calls on US to terminate engagement with PYD/YPGYPK/PKK terror in RaqqaFor the past year, the YPG/PKK has oppressed and terrorized Raqqa’s local population -- as it has in other areas under its control.It has forcibly recruited civilians into its ranks and has prevented many local residents from rebuilding their homes, many of which were destroyed last year by intense coalition airstrikes.The YPG/PKK, however, does not provide any public services, while residents accused of having links with the opposition frequently face arbitrary detention.In a report published last December, the U.K.-based Syrian Network for Human Rights said a total of 2,323 civilians had been killed in Raqqa in the period from November 2016 to October 2017.Erdoğan calls on terrorists to leave Syria's ManbijUN aid trucks reach remote Rukban camp in SyriaTurkey may position howitzer batteries in Syria, says defense analyst
Syrian tribes call for boycott of YPG/PKK in Raqqa