Turkish aid agency Kızılay, has sent 145 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to northern part of Syria
Turkish Red Crescent, locally known as Kızılay, has sent 145 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to northern part of Syria over the past month.
The aid foundation delivered dry food, stationery, bread, medicine and clothes to needy people in countrysides of Idlib and Latakia cities.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Hakan Sarı, head of border assistance operation, said they had been sending aid to the needy people since 2011, when the civil war started in the country.
“Totally 145 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid have been sent to needy people particularly in Turkmendagi and Jabal al-Akrad regions of Idlib and Latakia countrysides within 30 days, thanks to our foundation and philanthropists,” Sarı said.
The aid efforts will continue, he added.
Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating civil war that began in 2011. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict and millions more displaced, according to the UN.
Turkey currently hosts nearly 3.5 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world.
Turkish aid officials have warned of a fresh wave of mass migration in case of any possible offensive in Syria’s Idlib.“Migration would increase dramatically […],” Turkish Red Crescent head Kerem Kınık said.“We took our measures; to buffer this possible migration wave in Syria, to meet human needs, health, protection and housing needs," he added."We even don’t want to think about here (Idlib). There is no place for this migration wave if there are massacres and civilian movements like the ones happened in Eastern Ghouta, Aleppo, Daraa and Hama," Kinik added."Idlib is now the largest province in Syria. It had 150,000 population in 2011 but now it holds 3.5 million people. We hope there is no attack on civilians,” he said.Idlib offensive could trigger new wave of migration to Europe, TurkeyUN aid chief fears worst humanitarian crisis in IdlibKınık, who is also the vice president responsible for the European region of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said: “No matter who they are, we are standing with the oppressed people and no matter who the oppressors are we are standing against them.”Meanwhile, a board member of the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), an Istanbul-based aid agency, also warned of high casualties in case of an attack on Idlib.“In case of a possible attack on Idlib, the number of people to be killed due to the density of people will be much higher than before,” Izzet Sahin told Anadolu Agency."If this worst scenario happens those people who are dependent on humanitarian assistance from Turkey for their daily life will no longer be able to get help. They could face death and hunger. There will be a huge and dramatic migration movement,” he added.Video: Brush, cut and braid: Turkey gives hair makeover to over 500 Syrian orphans
Turkish aid officials fear mass migration from Idlib
Syria’s civil defense agency White Helmets, who have saved the lives of tens of thousands of civilians in Bashar al-Assad regime and its supporter’s attacks, continue to be a significant support to the Syrian people despite disinformation spread by the Assad regime.The White Helmets, consisting of more than 3,000 Syrians from various occupations, was established in 2013.The teams of the civil defense agency, which was nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize, carry out search and rescue efforts, while giving municipality services to the people at the same time.They also inform the people in the region about the mines, improvised explosives and clearance of unexploded bombs.Until now, they have rescued at least 115,000 civilians from the debris of regime and its supporter’s bombardments.The White Helmets, who work devotedly to save the lives of Syrian people, have lost 255 workers until today.They also include 230 volunteer female workers.In 2013, the White Helmets teams were trained by Turkey’s Search and Rescue Association, AKUT.The civil defense agency, which has proved the regime and its supporters’ attacks and crimes, have been exposed to their smear campaign recently.“We’ve proved their crimes, and we are targeted”Speaking to Anadolu Agency, White Helmets’ director Raed Saleh said that their only aim in Syria was to help civilians and they had no connection with any military or political institutions since its establishment.Saleh said they had been targeted for documenting the crimes of the Assad regime and its supporters with evidence.“Regime and its supporters, who fear and refrain from our presence in Syria, have started to launch systematic smear campaigns on media,” he said, adding that they used this way to make the evidences proving their crimes unreliable, but they failed.“They sometimes related us with members of a radical organization and sometimes with Western and international intelligence. And this shows that they have no proof in their hands,” Saleh said.- “We will continue to stand with victim against hangman”The agency’s director Saleh said: “We are the Syrian youth; we are in service of Syrian people. We will continue to stand with the victim against the hangman [Assad]."Reminding that they carry out joint works with local councils in the regions, he said: “We are also involved in the provision of services such as road repair, fire fighting, electricity and water.“Our efforts are appreciated by the international society.”He said their primary aim was to help civilians.Saleh also added that they re-started their efforts in Syria’s northwestern Afrin province, which has been cleared of YPG/PKK terrorists with Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch.He said they are conducting joint efforts with Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) teams.In addition to the areas under the control of the opposition groups in northern Syria, the White Helmets serve civilians in the regions of Turkey’s anti-terror operations Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating civil war that began in 2011. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict and millions more displaced, according to the UN.Syria's Idlib residents concerned about new attacksUS imposes sanctions on supporters of Syrian regimeEight European UN members back Turkey on Idlib effortChemical weapons 'being prepared' in Syria: US envoy'White Helmets saved 115,000 lives in Syria'
White Helmets: Syria's savior angels
As the Assad regime and Russia shell the last opposition-held stronghold of Syria’s Idlib, humanitarian agencies are worried about internally displaced citizens and refugees flocking to Turkey and Europe.Speaking to Yeni Şafak daily, head of the Turkish Red Crescent Kerem Kınık emphasized that if a battle breaks out in Syria’s opposition-held Idlib, hundreds of thousands of civilians would flee to Turkey and Europe, which would spell the start of a “new immigration wave.”On Tuesday, Russian warplanes bombed several areas in the last opposition-held stronghold of Idlib, raising worries of a major assault by the Assad regime forces and its allies.Stressing the importance of the international community’s need to gain the trust of Syrian civilians, he said: “The immigration issue is not a threat to Turkey alone, it can turn into an immigration wave toward Europe. This issue must be resolved at the [diplomacy] table. However, we have taken every precaution both in Turkey and Syria.”The Turkish Red Crescent has been providing humanitarian aid to Syrians since March 15, 2011.'White Helmets saved 115,000 lives in Syria' Migration issue must be solved by diplomacyStating that seven million civilians were internally displaced in Syria, “2.5 million of these people are in Idlib. A wave of fear could mobilize them. We witnessed this in Ghouta. It is impossible to govern this many people. This problem must be solved at the table.” “Civilians in Idlib trust Turkey, not Russia or Iran,” he concluded.Idlib, located in northwestern Syria on the Turkish border, has faced intense attacks by the Bashar al-Assad regime after a vicious civil war broke out in 2011. Since March 2015, Idlib is no longer under the control of the Assad regime and has been overrun by opposition groups.New refugee camps to be establishedThe Turkish Red Crescent is continuing to take measures against a possible new migration wave from Syria’s Idlib and to manage the process efficiently they will implement the “help on the ground” strategy.“We will increase the capacity of the designated refugee camps in the event of a new migration wave in the areas within the scope of the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations. We will establish new camps if needed,” Kınık said.He added that the organization has been supporting Syrians accommodated in 40 separate camps with 30,000 tents.“We continue to dispatch tents and provide humanitarian relief. Mobile health vehicles will be added to our regular services in the near future. These healthcare vehicles will be used in the case of a possible emergency. Aid for the disabled, orphans, elders and widows will be increased. We will reach our goal by helping as many people as possible, Kınık said.Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others were displaced, according to UN officials.Assad regime shells Syria's IdlibRussia says in contact with Turkey regarding northern SyriaSyrian opposition head calls on world to ‘stop the massacre’ in Idlib
Idlib offensive could trigger new wave of migration to Europe, Turkey