Turkish official: Turkey looking after 100,000 displaced in camps inside Syria

Some 100,000 displaced Syrians are being looked after in camps inside Syria close to the Turkish border, including 35,000 who this month fled a Russian-backed Assad offensive in northern Aleppo province, a top Turkish official told AFP today.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan, whose country has come under increasing pressure to open its border to Syrians fleeing the violence, said the refugees were being accommodated in nine camps just across the border with Syria.

"There are nine camps on the other side of the border accommodating 100,000 people including the 30-35,000 new arrivals," Akdogan told reporters at Oncupinar border crossing in televised comments, Naharnet reported.

He added that a tenth camp was being built three kilometers inside Syria.

The refugees are looked after by organisations such as Turkey’s emergency agency AFAD, Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) aid group as well as international organisations.