Hundreds of refugees fleeing Syria's embattled city of Aleppo arrive in Turkey
(31 Jul 2012) STORYLINE: Refugees from the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo continued to flee across the border into Turkey on Tuesday as conditions in the city deteriorate as the military siege entered its 11th day. Food and cooking gas were in short supply and power cuts plunged homes into darkness as soldiers and rebels battled on to tip the scales in the fight for Aleppo, Syria's largest city and the current focus of its civil war. While rebels seized two police stations, Syrian ground forces and helicopters pummelled the opposition strongholds of Salaheddine and Seif al-Dawla in the city's southwest, activists said. On Tuesday around 300 people, some severely wounded, packed up their belongings and travelled to Turkey to escape the conflict in Syria's largest city. Muhammad Abu Abdullah, a Syrian refugee who was taking a wounded relative from Reyhanli State Hospital to his temporary residence in Turkey, said Syria's government continues to mercilessly bombard Aleppo. "Bashar al-Assad's soldiers are shelling everywhere with fighter jets and tanks. He got wounded after the shelling. An FSA fighter can easily wander in the streets and in the neighbourhoods of Syria with his gun now because the people are on their side. For this one FSA fighter, Bashar al-Assad is shelling the whole city with fighter jets and tanks regardless of the thousands of civilian casualties. He (Assad) doesn't care," he said. The violence has fuelled a growing refugee crisis in neighbouring countries. According to the Turkish prime minister's office, some 44,000 Syrian refugees are being sheltered in tent cities and temporary housing in camps along the border. While Turkish authorities say they have yet to see a massive surge in refugees from Aleppo, they are prepared to house up to 100,000. Turkey, meanwhile, has reinforced its border troops with tanks, missile launchers and armoured combat vehicles over concerns that Turkish Kurdish rebels and Syrian Kurds were seizing control of some towns, including Qamishli, on the Syrian side of the border. Turkey is also monitoring the clashes in Aleppo. The UN said 200,000 Syrians have left over the past 10 days as the government trains its mortars, tank and helicopter gunships on the neighbourhoods seized by the rebels. UN officials said their agencies and the Syrian Red Crescent are working together on supplying those affected by the fighting with blankets and humanitarian supplies but many remain out of their reach because of the violence. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
