Turkey reports mass return by Syrians
Turkey's interior ministry said 411,649 Syrians had so far returned, the rate picking up in recent weeks, with the immigration service recording 140,000 returns since mid-June.
ISTANBUL (AFP) - More than 410,00 Syrians who fled to Turkey during the rule of Bashar al-Assad have returned home since he was overthrown in December, the government announced Thursday.
Turkey's interior ministry said 411,649 Syrians had so far returned, the rate picking up in recent weeks, with the immigration service recording 140,000 returns since mid-June.
In June Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), said 600,000 Syrians had returned homme from neighbouring countries.
Syria has seen outbreaks of violence in recent weeks, testing the authorities' ability to contain inter-religious strife after the fall of Assad.
Around 2.5 million Syrian refugees still live in Turkey, according to the latest figures, released in early August.
In 2021, Turkey said up to 3.7 million Syrians had taken refuge in the country.
